UAMS Northwest in Fayetteville Opens Comprehensive Rehabilitation Clinic

The Northwest Arkansas regional campus of the University of Arkansas Medical Sciences (UAMS) officially opened its new comprehensive rehabilitation clinic Monday.

The UAMS Northwest Outpatient Therapy Clinic, at 1125 N. College Ave., in Fayetteville, hosted an open house in its 2,735-SF clinic that features a staff of experienced therapists and top-of-line therapeutic devices.

According to a news release, the equipment includes an experimental Assisted Movement with Enhanced Sensation (AMES) device — one of only five such devices in the nation — for helping patients regain mobility or use of a paralyzed limb by enhancing sensory or motor connections.

Now accepting appointments, the clinic can treat older patients, veterans, athletes, those with chronic conditions or patients recovering from injuries affecting mobility or speech. The clinic’s goal is to provide effective, evidence-based outpatient therapy for patients with a variety of diagnoses, including functional deficits due to neurological disease, neck and back pain, injury or amputations.

The clinic also will serve as an educational host for the coming UAMS physical therapy doctoral degree program, which will welcome its first students in fall 2015. At the rehab clinic, the students will gain therapy experience with patients while under supervision of the clinic staff.

“As with our other programs at UAMS Northwest, this clinic reflects a health care need in this region — in this case improved access to comprehensive rehabilitation therapy,” UAMS Northwest vice chancellor Peter Kohler said in the release. “As we educate and train physicians, nurses, pharmacists and soon physical therapists, our programs — and resources such as this clinic — can improve access to care for our patients, extending health and improving the quality of life in northwest Arkansas.”

Kohler added that the new clinic will complement a sports medicine residency planned for the campus.

The clinic staff includes:

• John Jefferson, Ph.D., chair and associate professor for the department of physical therapy in the UAMS College of Health Professions
• Nathan Jowers, M.P.T., clinic director
• Angel Holland, M.P.T, director of physical therapy clinical education
• Kandy Salter, M.S., an occupational therapist
• Jamie Pulliza, M.A., a speech-language pathologist

“Our therapy professionals stay up-to-date on evidence-based practice and current research to we can offer our patients the most effective treatment, regardless of age or physical condition,” Jefferson said. “This clinic also offers a perfect clinical component for our physical therapy program, ensuring our students see the broadest range of patients, observing and participating in treatment managed by our professional staff.”

UAMS is the state’s only comprehensive academic health center, and has 2,890 students and 782 medical residents.