RADFORD – A substantial gift from Genesis Rehabilitation Services will allow for a new laboratory for Radford University’s Waldron College of Health and Human Services doctoral program in physical therapy.
According to Radford University, Genesis’ $100,000 gift will be used to create a laboratory at RU “dedicated to motion analysis, an integral focus in the study of physical therapy.”
The gift is the first of its kind from Genesis to a university.
Friday, Genesis president Dan Hirschfeld, along with members of his staff and area physical therapists, met with university administration and the leadership team for the university’s new doctoral physical therapy program.
At a luncheon honoring Genesis for the contribution, RU Provost Wil Stanton said the gift will help RU achieve success in the new doctoral program.
“RU is happy for this partnership with Genesis and it is a genuine honor to initiate the Doctor of Physical Therapy program,” Stanton said. “We thank you for your enthusiastic and generous support.”
“Though the program is beginning at a difficult time in the nation’s economy, RU is dedicated to the new program and it will be a premier program,” he continued.
Waldron College Dean Raymond Linville said the motion analysis lab “will greatly increase our capacity to meet the needs for better healthcare.”
“There are not a lot of professionals in the field to do this type of work and we are fortunate to have found two leaders who are experts in developing new programs,” Linville said at the luncheon.
GRS’s donation “will equip a laboratory designed to study and document bodily motions,” according to information released by RU.
“The facility will be created not only to provide an essential part of the RU DPT curriculum but also will also provide faculty and staff the opportunity to collaborate with physical therapists from GRS, enhance their skills, and accept special needs patient referrals,” it continued.
“The opportunity for Genesis Rehab Services to provide support for the new Motion Lab at Radford University aligns perfectly with our company mission: to improve the lives we touch through high quality healthcare and everyday compassion,” Hirschfeld said. “Through the new Motion Lab, Genesis Rehab Services is proud to support emerging physical therapy practitioners while focusing on the healthcare needs of the rural geriatric community.” The portable equipment is designed to enhance the healthcare needs of those living in Southwest Virginia and can be used at others or where ever the needs are great. Renee Huth, director of clinical education in the DPT program and an expert in motion analysis, says the focus on rural healthcare needs sets the RU program apart from other schools. “Students, faculty and practitioners working together in the program will make the world a better place,” Huth said.
GRS serves patients at more than 900 sites of service in 23 states and the District of Columbia with a team of more than 7,000 therapists in skilled nursing and assisted living facilities, outpatient clinics, and hospitals. The RU DPT program is one of two new graduate programs to be implemented in Waldron College in nearly 15 years; the second is a Masters of Occupational Therapy.
