When University CoWork (Woodlawn, Chicago, IL) invited us to be on a panel titled “Innovation to Impact - Healing Our Communities”… the second part stood out. It wasn’t until we met and they asked targeted questions about how we have been innovative during the pandemic that I needed to take a deep-dive reflection into what the last year has brought...
We opened our doors January 1st of ‘the year that shall not be named’ (aka 2020). And, closed our doors in February, just over a month later. We started reopening slowly starting in June.
Our innovation was not pandemic-inspired, but rather, motivated by a deep-seated desire to be of service in our communities. The first step along that path is developing strong relationships. It is through these relationships with patients that we have been able to keep everyone safe, even during a pandemic. It is through affirming that “our patients become our people” that we have had zero covid exposure scares in clinic to-date. Every single person that has come in, has been completely transparent regarding their covid AND vaccine status, unprompted. Even though patients don’t see each other in clinic, through our relationships with them, they look out for each other too.
Having come from high volume clinics, when I opened Velona Health PLLC, the main goal was to be 1-on-1 with patients. There is no dilution of services through aides, technicians, assistants… it’s just the doctor of physical therapy and the patient. That’s it. This way, we continue developing our relationship across sessions. This also allows us to be more intentional with fine-tuning manual therapy and therapeutic activities to ensure we are staying on track for patient’s goals, since we don’t lose information through a complicated game of “broken telephone”.
This type of intentional relationship-building and 1-on-1 care is by no means originating from some super-genius and innovative brain, but in a world where healthcare has bloomed into a 1.9 TRILLION dollar industry… I suppose, this does seem pretty unique and perhaps a little crazy.
To add maybe one extra note of insanity to this answer of innovation during the pandemic… In our desire to care for our people, we do free and full 1-1.5hr evaluations. The big mills, where I came from, boasted 10-15 minute “injury screens”. I have a miserable time seeing how anything productive can come out of a 10-15 minute interaction with someone (although of course, it’s better than nothing).
Motivations for our Free 1-1.5hr Evaluations:
Selfishly, to gain an outlet to geek out about the body because it’s just way too much fun! :)
To help boost our communities’ health literacy, so that each individual is better equipped to advocate for themselves with their other healthcare providers
It is not a guarantee that we will keep people and I would feel awful charging someone, if we needed to refer them to another healthcare specialty
To advocate for our profession (physical therapy) by appealing to “Direct Access” laws in Illinois, stating that you do not need a prescription/ referral to walk in our doors for a conversation
For more on this topic, please join us at the online event taking place on Thursday, May 13th, 2021 at 4pm CST.
You’re not going to want to miss my co-panelist: Allecia Harley, Epidemiologist from Prevention Advisory Group.
Yours in service,
Dr. CJ Mimee, PT, DPT, RYT
