Some people dread moving day, but not Melissa Shell. She welcomed it.
Shell loves the new space she’s working in and with good reason – it’s a bright, cheerful space designed for the children she and her staff serve.
Shell is the medical services director at Franciscan Health Pediatric Outpatient Rehabilitation. The facility was located in Franciscan Hospital, Olympia Fields. Its new expanded home is in the former Ace Hardware store space at 18410 Governors Highway in Cherry Creek Shopping Center. There’s plenty of free parking, too.
The staff moved into the new location on Feb. 28, and treatments resumed on Monday, March 3, Shell said. The clinic is run by Milestone Therapy.
“It has allowed us to expand to nine individual treatment rooms, dedicating one to a sensory room,” Shell said of the new space.
The Circle of 1875, a women’s giving circle that supports Franciscan’s mission and community programs, donated $10,000 to create the sensory room, according to a hospital press release. The circle’s name has historical significance as 1875 was the year the first Franciscan hospital opened in Lafayette, Indiana.
The new clinic features a cozy, child-friendly waiting area with plenty of children’s books and a spacious gym area with slides, colorful mats, stairs, a kid-sized trampoline and tons of toys. The clinic walls are painted in vibrant red, green, yellow and blue. Colorful animal paintings of giraffes, zebras and more hang on the walls.
“It is a fun and engaging area to help children develop skills while making therapy enjoyable,” Shell said.
Much of the therapy is play-based. For example, a therapist may create a fun obstacle course for a child working on balance.
The staff works with patients from less than a year old to 18, said Shell, who is also a physical therapist assistant.
“I knew I wanted to have a career where I could support and help individuals,” Shell said. “Being able to see a child take their first steps and seeing the smile at the accomplishment on the caregiver’s face, that’s most rewarding.”
The clinic offers physical therapy, speech therapy and occupational therapy. Sessions for patients who need physical therapy or occupational therapy last for an hour. Speech therapy sessions run 30 to 45 minutes.
Shell said that the clinic offers a multidisciplinary approach because some patients may need multiple types of therapy.
Patients generally are referred to the clinic by their doctor. Or a parent concerned about a child’s development may bring them to the clinic for treatment. For example, if a child isn’t hitting certain milestones like being able to turn over or walk, the staff works on developmental skills to get them there.
If a child has a speech impediment or delayed speech, there’s a speech therapist there to help.
A child who needs help with fine motor skills or who is having delays in reaching, grabbing or picking things up can receive occupational therapy.
The physical therapists also help children recovering from sports injuries, accidents and surgery.
“I worked with a client for about three years. I was trying to get this client to walk. The day she took her first step, it will be a moment that will be with me for life,” Shell said.
Family members and caregivers play an important role in therapy, too, Shell said.
“We do encourage family and caregiver engagement in sessions,” she said. “A huge part of our therapy approach is parent and caregiver education and support.”
For information, call 708-852-2535.