EDITION

2011

Volume I, Issue 4: 2011

The relief from the exhausting Texas heat brings the arrival of my favorite time of year. Football games, the state fair, and the holidays are only a few of the wonderful reasons that the end of the year is so enjoyable. But inside the KidsCare Therapy office, things are as busy as ever with the start of the holiday season. In November Cortney Baker, M.S., CCC/SLP CFO/President of Clinical Services we will celebrate Christmas with each of our patients and their families by hosting a holiday party for both our Fort Worth and Dallas clients. Being able to celebrate the holidays with our families is something that I look forward to each year. With the parties taking place at the Stockyards in Fort Worth and the Museum of Nature & Science in Dallas this year is sure to be extra special! Stay tuned for our next newsletter edition (and on Facebook) to see all the great pictures of our patients. This is also the time of year when we begin to ramp up our community involvement with organizations, such as the Salvation Army, in order to help our patients and the community with the extra expenses that the holiday season brings. I am always impressed with how involved our employees get in our philanthropic causes, especially during the holidays. But community involvement and celebrating the holidays doesnt even begin to cover everything we have going on within the company we also have exciting expansion news to announce! KidsCare Therapy will now be servicing the Waco market. This is great news for us, as it comes only a short year and a half after our move into Fort Worth. We are currently in the works of hiring qualified therapists for the area, and we look forward to continuing to provide the incredible therapy we are known for to the Waco area! I would also like to send out a special thank you to North Texas legislative representatives Stefani Carter and Roberto Alonzo.
Dallas (214) 575-2999

Wrapping Up The Year

Take a

Look Inside
Cortneys Letter ............................... .. 1 Success Story......................................2 New OT Clinical Manager.....................2 Run, Walk, Roll Ability Connections.....2 Representative Speaks to KCT.............3 DARS Eye Can Swim Event...................3 KCT Electronic Tracking.......................4 Refer a Friend ..................................... 4

As many of you know KidsCare Therapy has been very involved with the legislative changes that have threatened to change funding for our patients, as well as many other Texas children who desperately need it. Representatives Carter and Alonzo have helped greatly with this cause - even though it was not directly part of their platform. They realized the need to take care of our future by putting exhausting efforts in to victoriously keeping funding for these kids. Representative Carter even made a special appearance at the KCT office to speak with our therapists. Make sure to check out the article inside for more information on this moving presentation!

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Success Story - Ruby Trejo

Ruby Trejo, age one, was born with a mass in her throat that was removed shortly after birth. Due to weaknesses in the muscles in her throat and the inability to swallow properly after the mass was removed, Ruby was placed on a g-tube for all feedings. At this point it was uncertain as to how long it would take for Ruby to be able to drink from a bottle and no longer need to be on the g-tube. Ruby began treatment with KidsCare Therapy approximately seven months ago. The main goal of Rubys speech therapy was to improve oral motor skills, in order to allow her to begin feeding from a bottle. When therapy initially started, Ruby was unable to even suck properly from a pacifier. Therapy began by helping her establish a non-nutritive suck pattern in the hopes that she would eventually be able to transfer that skill to a bottle nipple. (A non-nutritive suck pattern is where the motions and rhythmic patterns of sucking are made with the mouth, however, no sucking and swallowing are present.) While it took Ruby approximately two to three months to establish this with the pacifier, she was quickly able to transfer the skill to a bottle nipple! At first, Ruby was only able to extract about half of an ounce of formula from a bottle using a slow flow nipple over

approximately 30 minutes, and it required a great deal of tactile support and cueing to get her to do so. She was still unable to establish the continuous suck-swallow pattern and continual lip support to keep the formula she needed in her mouth. However, after a few more months of therapy, Ruby began to take in approximately 3.5 oz from her bottle with a continuous suck and swallow pattern. Right before her six month evaluation, Ruby went for a check-up at the doctors office and it was recommended to discontinue use of the g-tube and move to all oral feedings! Ruby is now able to consume approximately four ounces of formula from her bottle five to six times daily. This is tremendous for Ruby and her family, as she no longer has to rely on g-tube feedings for nutrition. Thanks to home health therapy, Ruby is now able to participate in feeding activities with her twin sister. This progress has also saved the state a great deal of future medical expenses, as Ruby no longer requires the use of g-tube equipment.

New Occupational Therapy Clinical Manager

We would like to give a special welcome to Molly McNown, our new OT Clinical Manager here at KidsCare Therapy! Molly graduated from the University of Missouri-Columbia and shortly thereafter began working around the country as a traveling therapist. She brings the KCT Clinical Management team over ten years of experience in pediatrics, with extensive knowledge in documentation, assessments, various therapy models, behavior management, and sensory integration in the school, clinical, and home health setting.

Upon searching for positions in Dallas, Molly says she chose KidsCare Therapy because of the reputation for a high standard in service, and the outstanding growth potential in the leadership roles. She has enjoyed her time here at KidsCare Therapy thus far, stating that the helpful and friendly staff members have made the transition easy. She is also excited about the opportunity to continue to be able to support and mentor, as well as learn from the clinicians around her. Molly enjoys problem solving, developing more efficient ways of doing things, and facilitating growth. She admires that her profession encourages one to be a lifelong learner, and she attends as many courses and lectures as possible to help not only better herself as a clinician, but also as a manager and individual. These are all qualities that we look forward to seeing Molly bring to the OT Clinical Manager position at KidsCare Therapy!

Run, Walk, Roll Ability Connections

The first time Texas saw rain in months just happened to be on the morning of the 16th annual Run, Walk, Roll event supporting Ability Connections. But a little rain didnt stop the handful of KidsCare Therapy employees, or hundreds of other runners who were all there to support this wonderful cause. The event, which featured both a one mile fun walk/run as well as a 5k race, still went off without a hitch. For many of those running, the rain was actually welcomed as an alternative to the expected scorching heat, and it allowed for the runners to bond over their soaked running

gear and out of place hair. It was clear as the day progressed that even those who might have preferred a dryer run kept their spirits high and their focus on the cause they were supporting.

Ability Connections provides services to those with cerebral palsy (CP), and other physical, cognitive, and developmental disabilities. This annual event is always a lot of fun for our staff members, and we were so happy to be back for another year. For more information on Ability Connections, check out their website at http://www.abilityconnectiontexas.org/

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Representative Stefani Carter Speaks to KCT Therapists

On Friday, September 16th, Representative Stefani Carter came to the KidsCare Therapy Dallas office to speak to nearly 100 therapists and employees about the importance of childhood healthcare, and to review the past successes from the legislative session. Representative Carter discussed her assistance in helping support a cause that holds high importance for the future of Texas our children. Ms. Carter thanked the audience for what they do each day to change the lives of the children in our community, as well as explained how proud she was that her stance was able to avoid critical cuts that could have resulted in many Texas children no longer receiving healthcare that is vital to their future. Representative Carter stated, Kids dont have their own voice, so its important that people like us represent them. We are so proud to have such great representation in the Dallas area, and are thankful for all that she has done to support our patients and other north Texas children!
Stefani Carter represents district 102 in Dallas, for additional information go to http://www.carterfortexas.com

DARS Blind Division Annual Eye Can Swim Event

KidsCare Therapy was so proud to be a sponsor of the third annual EYE Can Swim event held by the Department of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services (DARS) Division for Blind Services. Roughly 285 DFW community members including special needs kids, siblings, parents and volunteers cooled off at the Lancaster Recreational Center in Lancaster, TX, for two days of aquatic therapy, food and fun for all. This years event was able to provide 82 special needs children with therapy, which was a new record for EYE Can Swim. During the event children with vision problems and other disabilities enjoyed a 45-minute aquatic therapy session with assistance from volunteer therapists, parents, and members of various agencies. This year KidsCare Therapys very own Ellen Enright, PT, led the first days session. The therapy included various in-water activities such as wall pushes, ball throwing, and specialized movements on toys such as noodles and swim boards to improve strength and motor skills for children ranging in ages and disabilities. It was a joy to be able to be a part of this event. I really believe it opened some eyes to different ways of addressing goals in therapy, stated Ellen Enright. My hope is that the parents and caregivers learned some new techniques to use for aquatic therapy with their kids in the future. Siblings of the DARS Division for Blind Services clients also attended the event. They enjoyed a free swim session with various pool toys, a coloring contest, bingo and pizza, and it was apparent they had just as much fun as those in the therapy session. It is our goal to continue to provide aquatic therapy to those who are MIVI (those who have multiple disabilities, one of which being a vision problem), as they may not have an opportunity to experience other facets of our program, says Nicole Rogers with DARS, who organized the event. DARS Division for Blind Services assists children and adults afflicted with a wide range of vision problems by helping them to integrate themselves into the community and lead a normal life through training and providing assistive technology. For more information on this great event, or on the services DARS Division for Blind Services provides, please contact Nicole Rogers, Blind Childrens Specialist at 214-378-2677.

www.KidsCareTherapy.com

KCT Electronic Tracking

KidsCare Therapy prides itself on being one of the industry leaders in technological innovations, in order to ensure we are working as efficiently as possible. By streamlining our work into the simplest and most productive manner, we are able to free up time for what really matters our patients and the therapy services we provide for them. Thats why all of our therapists recently received tablet devices to use during their therapy sessions in order to easily document session notes and patient information. By doing this we can accurately and simply monitor the quality of our service, and receive the most up-to-date patient information at the click of a button!

October 14th ECCNT Collaborative Care Conference October 14th and 15th CEU - Beckman Oral Motor October 18th Texas Tech Career Fair October 26th University of Central Arkansas Career Fair October 28th & 29th Texas Physical Therapy Association Conference/Student Conclave November 4th & 5th Texas Occupational Therapy Association Conference

New Hires:
June
Lynn Brink, Human Resources Manager Donna Catterton, SLP Jennifer Gray, SLP Sarah Hamilton, SLP Haley Kemp, SLP Christan Morrison, SLP Anne Potts, SLP Kate Short, Clinical Development Supervisor Teresa Scarmardo, PT Whitney Shaw, SLP

November 11th CEU Sensory: Behavior Approach to Intervention November 12th Fort Worth Family Holiday Party November 12th Walk Now for Autism Speaks November 19th Dallas Family Holiday Party

July

Alejandro Jaimes, Case Conference Coordinator Joni Jenkins, HR & Payroll Specialist Molly McNown, OT Clinical Manager Jessica Puckett, SLP Angela Ruiz, Translator/Receptionist Fort Worth office Carly Snell, Event Coordinator

August

Kathryn Ingels, Social Work Intern Nicki Heussner, SLP Blair Landy, PT, DPT Ashley Schilling, MOT, OTR Jacqueline Sisk, OTR

December 9th CEU- Therapeutic Taping Strategies December 14th Hardin Simmons Career Fair

Refer a Friend!

Congratulations to Deborah Ledbetter, OT, the most recent winner of the KidsCare Therapy Refer a Friend promotion. As the winner, Deborah received a trip for two to San Francisco! The next give-away winner will receive a trip for two to Sante Fe, New Mexico so be sure to email Krystal Szczsponik at kszczsponik@kidscaretherapy.com if you know any licensed PTs, OTs, or SLPs interested in an exciting career opportunity. Contest ends December 2nd, so get your referrals in today!

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Dallas (214) 575-2999

For t Worth (817) 546-8661

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KIDSCARE EVENTS

Laresha Anderson, SLP Intern Leigh Anne Cipriano, SLP Emily Ferguson, SLP Edna Hernandez, Intake/Processing Coordinator Sarah Swann, SLP Lyndsay Sather, Staffing Coordinator Julie Wood, SLP

September