Blast from the Past!

Jerre and Becky at the 2001 T2K Holiday Party!

iNSiDERTHE

iNSiDERiNSiDERTHE

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iNSiDERiNSiDERiNSiDERiNSiDERiNSiDER13th Birthday Edition!

VOL. 9 NUMBER 2: April 2013

Happy Birthday T2K!

In the Year 2000...p. 6-7

Legislative Updatep. 4

I Love What I Dop. 9

Perspectivesp. 12

A Week in the Lifep. 14-15

www.t2000.com

THERAPY2000

We improve lives.

THERAPYTHERAPY

from the administrator, jerre van den Bent, Pt

• Happy Lucky 13th! ...........2-3

• Legislative Update ..............4

• T2Kapitol Day .....................5

• In the Year 2000 ..............6-9

• Patient Success ...............8-9

• C2K Update ........................9

• I Love What I Do ...... 10-11

• Anniversaries ................... 11

• Perspectives ................ 12-13

• A Week in the Life .... 14-15

Inside This Issue:

happy Lucky 13th, t2k!

Roughly thirteen and a half years ago, I made the decision to leave the agency I had worked for ever since I had been in Dallas. The fi rst six years of my employment with them had been deeply satisfying. Unfortunately, we were acquired by a new corporate entity that very quickly took away the culture we had built. I was working at the time as a Direc-tor of Rehab and found myself implementing policies and procedures that I could not personally support.

I ventured out and researched new potential employers. I had a simple, three item wish list. I wanted to stay in pedi-atric home care, I wanted to fi nd an employer that treated their employees well, and most importantly, I was looking for an agency that didn’t just talk about offering “the best quality of care”, but one that actually delivered on that promise. My job search was deeply disap-pointing. Not one of the agencies that were operating in the Metroplex at that time treated their employees as well as I thought we deserved to be treated. Conversations about quality of care went nowhere, as none of the administrators I spoke to could give me a substantive answer to my question as to what their agency was actually doing to back up the claim that they delivered the “highest quality care”. After a short stint as an independent contractor, and after much encouragement from colleagues in the fi eld, I decided that I should stop job hunting and start creating the agency where I wanted to work. In May of 2000, I fi led pa-perwork and “gave birth” to THERAPY 2000, INC. (Note to our largely female workforce, “giving birth” to a corporate entity is surprisingly pain free, it’s a couple of signatures, a pretty minimal fee, and you are done in about 15 minutes.) After a year of prep work in the basement of my home, we opened for business. As we are gearing up for T2K’s thirteenth birthday party, I take note of how much change has occurred, and how a few things have stayed the same.

The only constant is changeOur industry has seen an unbelievable amount of change in the past thirteen years. Back in 2000, there was no managed care. All we had to deal with was regular Medicaid. Oh boy, those good ole days… I had never heard of VitalStim® certifi cation. There was not a single pediatric home care company that was operating an advanced clinical program. Our landscape has changed signifi cantly in the past thirteen years. Managed care is now the norm. High quality clinical research is transforming the way we practice. I have learned that although planning is important, being able to adapt to change, good and bad is WAY, WAY, WAY more important. Most plans we make in life are outdated the moment the “ink dries.”(Sorry, bad metaphor for all of our T2K “millennials”, how about, most plans are outdated the moment you tweet them or share them on your Pinterest board.) Change is truly the only constant, and you may as well embrace it, because it’s gonna happen. A lot.

Be the changeI left the company I was working for in large part because of the lack of respect I felt they had for us, the employees, as well as their patients, and even the vendors they interfaced with. I believe that all of us have the right to be treated with dignity and respect. I started THERAPY 2000 with the sole desire to deliver the Absolutely Ultimate Quality of Care

editorial staff

Jerre van den Bent, PTEDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Kyle ButlerMANAGING EDITOR

Alex ParisCOPY-WRITER/EDITOR

Jennifer RileyLEGISLATIVE ADVOCACY

Anne Marie Pinkenburg, CCC-SLPPATIENT SUCCESS STORY

Heather Wise, CCC-SLPPATIENT SUCCESS STORY

Christina Wrightsman, STAPATIENT SUCCESS STORY

Joshua Florence, PTPERSPECTIVES

Amy Bihl, LMSWA WEEK IN THE LIFE

happy Lucky 13th, t2k!(A.U.Q.C.) to our patients by offering our employees the Absolutely Ultimate Employee Experience (A.U.E.E.). That is why we became the fi rst pediatric therapy company in Dallas who had all of our admission paperwork available both in English and in Spanish. Before us, Spanish speaking families signed English contracts that were loosely translated by interpreters. From our earliest days, we have invested in excellent support staff. Delivering A.U.Q.C. takes a team of dedicated admin-istrative staff to carefully manage the clinical and fi nancial aspects of care. In 2000, there was not a single pediatric home health company that offered a good, full benefi ts package to their workforce. Full benefi ts were the norm for therapists who worked in school settings, or in pediatric hospitals or clinics. In home care, we were lucky to get minimal medical cov-erage, and we were on our own when it came to pursuing advanced training and certifi cations. For several years, we were the fi rst, and only company that extended all of our medical benefi ts to the same gender partners of our employees. By offering excellent benefi ts to our workforce as long as we have been in existence, we have not only treated our employees the way they deserve to be treated, we have “raised the bar” for our industry. Almost all of our peer providers now offer good benefi ts to their workforce, including good medical coverage, and at least a basic CE reimbursement package.

The more things change…..My main reason for founding THERAPY 2000 thirteen years ago was my desire to be part of an organization that existed to deliver A.U.Q.C. through A.U.E.E. This was the guiding principle in 2000, it’s the guiding principle today, and I believe that it’s the main reason we have been successful as an organization. A.U.Q.C. is the reason we received our fi rst three referrals in May 2001, and it’s the reason we set a new record of 1,371 referrals in the fi rst quarter of 2013. A.U.E.E. is the reason we retain talented clinical and administrative staff, allowing us to grow to a workforce of 330 employees. Our desire to deliver A.U.Q.C. and A.U.E.E. is why we are involved in the legislative process, why we have our monthly education events, and why we founded Chari-T2000. Whatever changes we have seen around us, our desire to be an organization that consistently strives for improving the lives of our employees and patients has remained the same.

It is safe to predict that the next years will continue to bring enormous change to our industry, the lives of our patients, and to the way we practice. I welcome whatever amount of change is in store for us, knowing that our sincere desire to deliver A.U.Q.C. through A.U.E.E. will be a constant.

Happy Lucky 13th T2k!

"What We do in Life echoes in eternity"** Gladiator (2000) – Maximus (Russell Crowe)

Interesting tidbits from the year 2000:

• T2K was born in Jerre’s basement. Wahoooooooooooo!

• Y2K fears! Many thought their computer would explode.

• Reality TV becomes the latest reality. Survivor anyone? Who Wants to Marry a Millionaire?

• Harry Pottermania hits

• MP3 become popular thanks to Napster.

• Who Let the Dogs Out? is playing everywhere.

• Yankees win the World Series.

• Jennifer Lopez’s Grammy dress is scandalous!

• Gladiator is the Oscar winner.

• Movie quote of the year: "I have nipples Greg, could you milk me?" - Robert De Niro in Meet The Parents

4

LegisLative update jennifer riley, executive director of community relations

The 83rd Texas Legislative

Session has been busy!

Friday, March 8th was the

deadline for bills to be filed

for the Session. There were

964 bills, joint resolutions

and concurrent resolutions

filed that day. THERAPY 2000, Texas Association for

Home Care and Hospice (TAHCH) and Home Therapy

Advocates for Kids (HTAK) are closely watching several

bills.

Senate Bill 1 (SB 1) and House Bill 1 (HB 1) : Budget Bills

The Senate passed their version of the budget (SB 1)

without making too many changes on March 20th 2013.

Senate Bill 1 was approved by the House Appropriations

Committee on March 22nd. It was then sent to the House

for a debate.

Your calls to ask for support in opposing certain

amendments proved successful on April 4th. Thank you for

taking such swift action! WOOHOO! The only amendment

that was approved by the House was the amendment

relating to NPIs. The House passed the budget late April

4th, 2013. Although we have made some positive footing,

our strongest efforts will be concentrated on the part of

the appropriations process called Conference Committee.

This is when the two sides of the legislature, the House and

Senate, reconcile both budget bills.

Senate Bill 7(Senator Nelson)

In late February Joshua Florence and I testified before the

Senate Health and Human Services Committee on Senate

Bill 7/SB 7.

SB 7 changes how medical and long-term services and

supports (LTSS) are provided through Medicaid and

Medicaid waivers. SB7 was voted favorably out of Senate

Health and Human Services Committee on March 15th

and out of the full Senate on March 25th. The bill will be

sent to House Committee. We will continue to work with

Senator Jane Nelson, the House Committee who will hear

the bill, and the Health and Human Services Commission

on any language in the bill that will affect children’s services,

primarily mandated managed care for children and co-

payments for children. Because the bill already contains

language regarding "formal stakeholder input" we continue

to seek to include language that will address the multitudes

of problems providers experience with managed care

companies. Several other provider-friendly bills (HB

1088, SB 1150) have been filed to address managed care

problems and it is possible that some of those provisions

will be included in SB 7.

House Bill 914(Representative Kolkhorst)

House Bill 914 would equalize therapy rates, regardless of

the setting in which the service is provided. The legislation

asserts that hospitals, nursing homes, home health agencies,

physicians and independently enrolled individual therapists

should all be paid the same for therapy services delivered

to a Medicaid beneficiary although the bill is targeted

directly at CORFs/ORFs and home health. HB 914 bill

is inconsistent with the rate-setting methodology of the

Texas Health and Human Services Commission. HHSC sets

rates for hundreds of different provider types based on a

complex methodology that uses multiple variables specific

to each provider type and setting. This is common practice

for other payor sources such as Medicare and private

insurance. Medicare, for instance has a very specific home

health rate for therapy that was developed understanding

the unique cost drivers of the home care service delivery

model. This bill is now in the House Calendars Committee.

You can follow these and other bills online at http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/Home.aspx. Stay tuned for more updates and possible Action Alerts in which we will need help with phone calls, letters and emails to key lawmakers. Please send questions to Advocacy@T2000.com.

5

THERAPY 2000 descended on the Texas capitol Wednes-day, February 20th, to rally for pediatric in-home healthcare. Kicking off the 83rd Texas Legislative session, over one hun-dred therapists and staff from different in-home pediatric therapy companies across Texas joined together to advo-cate for their industry. The goal was to ensure that children of Texas with developmental delays and disabilities continue to get access to this much needed Medicaid covered care. Over forty THERAPY 2000 therapists and staff joined the cause from the Dallas, San Antonio, Austin, Houston and East Texas regions of the state.

DFW area T2K advocates got on a bus at the corporate office at 5:45 AM, bright and early, to make it to a 9 AM pep rally held at the capitol. This motivational meeting was meant to brief therapists and home health advocates on important talking points to share in the scheduled meetings with their local legislative and office staff. This included how to best relay personal stories about their patients proving exactly how their industry betters the lives of the children they treat.

Representative John Zerwas, M.D., voted one of the “Ten Best Legislators” by Texas Monthly for his work during the 81st and 82nd legislative sessions was one of the speakers. Zerwas has been recognized by the Texas Medical Associa-tion as a “Friend of Medicine” and Texas Hospital Association as a “Texas Hospital Advocate” for his commitment to health-care for Texans. He represents the citizens of House District 28 and serves on the House Appropriations Committee as Chair of the Health and Human Services. His perspective coming from being a representative and medical doctor was invaluable in teaching the advocates how to effectively relate to the politicians and their staff the importance of pediatric in-home therapy. To sum up he said, “(You) make a huge difference to the quality of life that they have. That’s the message that you need to share with your lawmakers.”

Jerre van den Bent, President of THERAPY 2000, Jennifer Riley of THERAPY 2000 and David Reimer, Executive Direc-tor of KidsCare Therapy also spoke at the pep rally.

Pumped after the motivating and informational rally, the advocates were ready to meet and speak with their local legislative and office staff. The message they delivered was that home therapy is often the most cost-effective way to provide therapy services and cutting these payments would lead to less quality of care in the long run. If cut, cost of care will actually rise as many of the patients will end up in hos-pitals or rehab centers instead of receiving cost-effective pediatric physical, occupational or speech therapy at home. Advocates also stressed the importance of standardized measures to determine when services are medically neces-sary making it less of a guessing game for parents and thera-pists as to what treatments will be covered. Representative John Zerwas, M.D., shared this, “Most lawmakers are not going to really understand what you do, but what they do understand is the money. That is what they are up here to look out for … and when they suggest that a cut to your fees be made, they need to understand the consequences of that.” Therapists also shared in their meetings the touch-ing stories of the patients they help on a daily basis and how their services are an important element in improving children’s lives.

After visiting the offices of many representatives and sen-ators the THERAPY 2000 crew got back on the bus and headed north up I-35 towards Dallas. Everyone agreed that the group advocating was worth all the work. Megan Shull, SLP, CCC, of THERAPY 2000 shared her thoughts on the day, “Everyone was abuzz. I definitely think it impacted the legislature for our staff to bring our perspective to the table. We raised awareness in our community of the importance of in-home pediatric home health care.”

t2kaptioL day a huge success!

T2K Advocates

Y2 KY2 KWhat were you up to in the year 2000? THERAPY 2000 was

just getting started in Jerre's basement with just two

employees. We've come a long way, what about you?

In the year 2000, I was a very happy (and busy) girl! I celebrated a milestone birthday (BIG 3-0), gave birth to my fi rst child, Jack-son Parrish Fitts, and cel-ebrated my 1-year anniver-sary with the best husband in the world!

Stacy Fitts

I graduated high school, moved from my hometown of Bue-nos Aires, Argentina, and enrolled at Baylor University in Waco, TX! Yep, I still carry my Student ID card with me. Go Bears!

Amy Bihl

We literally spent New Year’s eve that year in our RV (that was pow-ered by a generator), had a bonfi re, drank some champagne our of our special Y2K glasses and had water standing by in a water well if needed! It was fun! We were just being silly...really silly after we fi nished the bottle of champagne!

Vanessa Richardson

In 2000 I was a Jr/Sr in high school and trying to fi gure out where to go to college to begin the route to PT school and play basketball.

Ashley Sparkman

Starting Freshman year of college at U of H!Brenda Garcia

In the year 2000, I was a freshman in high school in Tuc-son, counting the days until I could get my braces taken off, rocking clip on hair crystals, and dreaming of having my own cordless phone for my room. I think I burned all pictures from that glorious era!

Maura Maloney

In the year 2000, I was in the eighth grade! I loved dancing and I was a cheerleader in school. And yes, I was worried about Y2k!!

Sara Jacobson

I was working on Pharmacy Technician license and working on my course requirements at Tarrant County Commu-nity College in Fort Worth.

Gisele Owens

Living near Augusta, Maine.Richard Martinez

I was just graduating from PT school in 2000 and ready for the excitement to come.

Yeisha Culp

I was graduating TCU undergrad with a degree in Speech-Language Pathology and a minor in Psychology. I entered graduate school at University of Northern Colorado in Fall 2000.

Patricia Gurinksky

Jan 1st, 2000, I was getting in the US with 3 kids (ages 4,3 and 6 months), my husband, and mother to start a new life, after living with friends and family in Colombia. It was a rough year of adjusting, adapting and learning a new cul-ture.

Beatriz Lourido

Y2 KY2 KIn the Year

2000...

Y2 KY2 KI was in 8th grade and getting used to a new town since my Dad took a job that moved us from Lawton, OK to Victoria, TX. I was making new friends, playing soccer, and listening to N’sync (the boy band that introduced the world to Justin Timberlake). Oh, and as you can see from my pictures, I was cutting my own bangs…thanks Mom!

Katie Neal

In the year 2000 I was vis-iting Hawaii with a school friend and learning the im-portance of sunscreen!

Sara Wilkerson

Working in the T2K base-ment part- time, and at M e d s h a r e s part time.

Donna Trantham

I graduated with my M.S. from the University of North Texas in May, 2000 and I started my CFY at Indian Creek Elementary in Lewisville ISD in August, 2000. Here's a picture from my graduation day with my then-boyfriend-now-husband, Steve.

Molly Wood

Met my second husband, retired from SAISD but contin-ued to do contract OT services for them part time.

MaryJane Weiss

Starting my sophomore year of undergrad in speech lan-guage pathology at my alma mater, SUNY Cortland, NY.

Lindsay Estrada

I was in school...high school! 9th grade to be specifi c-dreaming about being an interior designer!

Casie Cearley

I was sitting baffl ed in trigonometry class as a freshman in high school! Wow!

Amelia Rankin

I was graduating with my M.S. in Communication Disor-ders and getting married in Maui!!!

Melody Chavez

I was starting my very fi rst job.

Yolanda Verduzco

Let's see, in the year 2000... I was fi nishing my Junior year and starting my Senior year in high school (I graduated 2001). I worked as a game room tech at the local Chuck E Cheese. Yes, I was the mouse a couple of times, and no, I won't dress up for y'all! I was debating what I wanted to be when I grew up and was deciding that the Army would most likely be the best route for me as I wasn't into school at that time (guess I needed the discipline and drive before making the 7 year journey through PT school). I wasn't very concerned with Y2K, probably because I didn't have my own computer.

Courney Scott

I was had just fi nished high school & started college.Maria Campos

I was the SLP at Wells Elementary in Plano. Vickie Prouty

I was a junior in high school!

Amanda Foresman

Ashton's mom, Elizabeth, is so excited that he has started using some spoken and picture words. Ashton is eight and has autism. His family has waited a long time for him to reach this milestone. Elizabeth makes sure he takes his PECS (Picture Exchange Communication System) notebook to restaurants and she makes schedules and activity strips. It wasn't hard to see her passion for help-ing Ashton, and she struck me as the perfect candidate for attending a 2-day PECS training course because she wanted to do even more between our ses-sions. I approached Chari-T2000 who agreed that it would be worthwhile to pay for her PECS training. Elizabeth was very excited to attend the course and came back even more enthusiastic about implementing Ashton's PECS and involving the whole family. Having observed many sessions with THERAPY 2000, Ashton's sister thinks she might want to be a therapist when she grows up. Thank you for recruiting this future therapist Mary Burger, OTR! After the PECS class, Ashton's mom said, "It's opened my mind into his world." She feels she can now help him become even more independent as we collaborate on his program.

— Anne Marie Pinkenburg, CCC-SLP

patient success story: ashton west division

patient success story: Jason east division

When I first met Jason he was a very frustrated little boy. He was completely non-verbal and had no way to effectively communicate with his family. He would lead his mom to the room where he wanted something, but mom had to constantly guess what he wanted. Out of frustration, he would frequently scream, cry, head bang, bite or pinch his caregiver. Jason had been discharged from OT at school due to limited progress. Jason was able to attend to a task for approximately 30 to 60 seconds at a time and did not initiate any interactions. In speech therapy Jason and I worked on requesting items with a low tech AT device giving one choice. After many sessions, Jason was able to advance to two choices on his device and began answering very simple yes/no questions as long as reinforcements were delivered immediately following the correct response. Jason was highly motivated by shredding toilet paper, drinking from his sippy cup or pulling feathers apart.

After a lot of hard work and practice, Jason was eventually ready for eight choices on his device. He was successfully requesting eight different items. Jason's behavior had drastically improved and he was now able to consistently attend to a task/activity for up to 10-15 minutes before needing a break. Jason's family needed a communication device of their own so that Jason would always have a way to functionally communicate with his family in all environments.

I recommended Jason and his family to Chari-T2000 for assistance. He was ap-proved and received his own 7-level Communication Builder. Since receiving his Communication Builder from Chari-T2000, Jason is now constantly com-municating with his family with this device outside of therapy. He can ask for the snacks he wants and the activities he wants to do. His whole family encourages and supports Jason using this device. He is able to go and get his device when asked. His school district has recently decided to purchase one for him to use in the classroom after seeing his success with this device during a parent confer-ence. It is exciting to reflect on how much progress Jason has made in speech therapy. As a result, Jason is a much happier little boy now!

— Heather Wise, CCC-SLP

chari-t2000 update

Look Who C2K Has Helped

We Give Back

Ashton and his mother utilizing the PECS system. Mom's train-

ing was sponsored by C2K.

Jason's world has opened up by using the 7 Level

Communicator provided by Chari-T2000.

Jaelynn uses a mouth stylus for her Ipad

provided by Chari-T2000.

Jamie using his oral motor talk tools.

Brayden, Destinee and Jonathan all received weighted vests.

patient success story: david san antonio division

David is seventeen years old and loving life. He was diag-nosed with cerebral palsy as a toddler. He embraces his dis-ability and begins each day with a positive outlook. Beginning speech therapy was David’s decision. He made the request to receive speech therapy because he simply wanted to be understood. David was tired of people always asking, “What did you say?” Instead of complaining about it, he wanted to learn how he could fix it. David also wanted to receive speech therapy because he wants to major in Clinical Psy-chology and minor in Communications. David dreams about being a public speaker to raise awareness for cerebral palsy one day. He wants to help others embrace their disabilities like he does daily. David shared, “In today’s society, everyone is so focused on being so similar, that to be different is seen as abnormal.” He is working to change that.

One of David’s greatest strengths is connecting with people. David loves making people laugh with his jokes. One of his interests is anime because, “It’s very motivating for me to

see characters that don’t get recognized like Spiderman or Su-perman but they have a purpose — to fight.”

David is seeing im-provements in his speech daily. David is a hard worker, and very determined. He is learning to recognize when he sounds nasal in conversation, when his tongue is protruding and how to correct himself. He also is working on controlling his vol-ume and diaphragmatic and controlled breathing. He is an amazing kid, and his future looks bright because he always shoots for the starts and nothing else.

— Christina Wrightsman, STA

Chari-T2000 was created to give children with developmental and medical needs help in obtaining necessary services and equipment

when it is not financially feasible for their family to purchase these items and no other payer source is available. Contact Kimmy

Gibson at kimberley.gibson@t2000.com for more information or to recommend a family.

10

My name is Aly, I am from a small town in South Texas called Benavides. I attended Texas A&M- Corpus Christi and got my Bachelors of Science in Nursing. My first job in the medi-cal field was working in the operating room as a RN. I helped with a lot of orthopedic, neurological, general, ocular and gynecological surgeries. I initially wanted to work in the operating room because I wanted to save lives. I always found myself thinking about my patient’s progress after they left the operating room. We did the surgery but was it effective? I wanted to know how they did during their rehabilitation process and I wanted to work in a setting where I would get to spend more time interacting with my patients. I wanted to be a part of seeing patients make progress and watching their lives improve or return to normal and that’s what eventually led me to occupational therapy.

Q: What drove you to become an occupational therapist?

A: I had always wanted to be an OT ever since I was little. In 6th grade I became aware of what an occupational therapist

was after reading an article in a science book. Unfortunately, the university that offered me a scholarship didn’t have an OT

program, so I decided to get a degree in nursing instead. I decided to follow my dream in 2007, and I headed to the “Big D”.

I once thought the jump from my small town (one blinking light in the center of town) to Corpus was difficult; the transi-

tion from Corpus Christi to Dallas was a huge eye opener. It was the first time I had ever seen or heard of a tollway and

I didn’t know six lanes on a highway could and did exist. I attended Texas Woman’s University-Dallas and got my Masters

in Occupational Therapy. While I was in graduate school I worked at a specialized gym for children, It’s a Sensory World, and

did Level II fieldwork placement at Cooks Children’s Hospital in Fort Worth. I loved working with kids and decided I would

focus on pediatrics instead of adults.

Q: What’s your favorite part about being an occupational therapist?

A: It is very rewarding to know that I can help kids become more independent in self-care skills and with activities that

are important to them and their family. I like the challenge of coming up with new and interesting activities to keep their

motivation levels high while we work on progressing towards their goals.

Q: What is your favorite part about your job?

A: I love the flexibility of my schedule. I really enjoy making my patients smile and laugh.

Q: What lead you to THERAPY 2000 and back?

A: I was first introduced to THERAPY 2000 at a job fair held on campus. One of my friends decided that she was going

i Love What i do!

alyssa de la cruz, ot

Happy Annivevev rsaryryr

ANNIVERSARIES

April

Trantham, Donna ...........04/08/2002

Chaparro, Alejandra ......04/07/2003

McCormick, Tamara ......04/29/2003

Linscomb, Meri ..............04/05/2005

Escobido, Michiko ..........04/02/2007

Lawson, Angela ...............04/16/2007

Tally, Jean .........................04/09/2008

Cabrera, Anabel .............04/06/2009

Rubenfi eld, Joanna .........04/27/2009

Ortiz, Jennifer .................04/05/2010

Butler, Jarrod ..................04/12/2010

Ramos, Megan ................04/04/2011

Thomas, Marcia ..............04/04/2011

Salazar, Elizabeth ............04/11/2011

Torres, Jeanette ..............04/11/2011

Valderas, Mary Anna .....04/20/2011

George, Marisha ............04/22/2011

Taylor, Joni .......................04/09/2012

Allen, Kristal ...................04/13/2012

Stiefer, Rick .....................04/13/2012

Briones, Brittany ............04/16/2012

Pickens, Shannel .............04/16/2012

Brown, Janie ....................04/23/2012

Campos, Maria ...............04/23/2012

Jones, Mellissa ................04/23/2012

Speer, Teresa ...................04/23/2012

Vargas, John ....................04/23/2012

Inga, Elizabeth .................04/30/2012

May

Martinez, Gloria .............05/24/2002

Burger, Mary ...................05/19/2003

Ferguson, Tonya .............05/03/2004

Beckmann, Miranda .......05/03/2005

Garcia, Juan .....................05/12/2006

Richardson, Brianne ......05/07/2007

Anderson, Alice ..............05/10/2010

McClure, Rachel ............05/10/2010

Marshall, Harolyn ..........05/24/2010

Marshall, Courtni ..........05/09/2011

Beckham, Kristy .............05/07/2012

Herrera, Jose ..................05/11/2012

White, Erica ....................05/11/2012

Lund, Diana .....................05/14/2012

Wise, Barbara ................05/14/2012

Lucena, Luis ....................05/18/2012

Brown, Melanie ..............05/21/2012

Robinson, Maria .............05/29/2012

Singh, Nurinder ..............05/29/2012

June

Sneed, Melissa ................06/06/2005

Byrom, Keane .................06/04/2007

Benson, Tanya .................06/06/2008

Wise, Heather ...............06/10/2008

Flores, Vanessa ...............06/20/2008

Wood, Molly ...................06/30/2008

Neal, Katherine ..............06/03/2009

Netro, Guillermo ..........06/03/2009

Smith, Rachel ..................06/22/2009

Goncalves, Rebeca ........06/01/2010

Lewis, Karen ...................06/01/2010

McCorkle, Leslie ............06/01/2010

Ward, Jeri ........................06/01/2010

Chow, Emily ....................06/03/2010

Acosta-Nabarrette, Michelle 06/07/2010

Brasher, Cassie ...............06/14/2010

Capron, Elizabeth ..........06/14/2010

Ellis, Jennifer ....................06/14/2010

Perez, Dietmar ...............06/22/2010

Bundick, Morgan ............06/03/2011

Loessberg, Candice .......06/06/2011

Hansen, Christina ..........06/20/2011

Westbrook, Kimberly ...06/20/2011

Griffi th, Blair ...................06/27/2011

Appelbaum, Kelli ............06/04/2012

Sparkman, Ashley ...........06/04/2012

Sturgis, Kimberly ...........06/04/2012

Lampert, Jessica .............06/11/2012

Swannie, Holly ................06/11/2012

Riojas, Irma .....................06/18/2012

Wilkerson, Sara .............06/18/2012

Rucker, Bobbi .................06/25/2012

to work for THERAPY 2000 and I decided give home

health a try as well. I loved it from day one. Everything was

going great. I enjoyed my job, co-workers, and patients. I

was learning a lot with mentoring from my co-workers

and the courses provided by T2K. Then one day, on my

way to work, I had a seizure. Luckily, I was able to pull

over and call for help before I lost the ability to talk. In the

past doctors had speculated that I had complex migraines,

this episode changed that. I was put on an anti-seizure

medication and told I couldn’t drive for a year. A whole

year! The medication affected my coordination, strength

and endurance to perform activities. My dosage was ad-

justed several times until I was seizure free. I eventually

got used to the medication and all the side effects slowly

disappeared. I was so grateful to regain my health and be

given a second chance to come back to work. Since the

diagnosis, I now have a new perspective on life. Life is short

and your whole life can change in one second so make the

most of it and have fun. While I was out of work my T2000

friends/co-workers kept in contact with me during my ups

and downs. It was sad to leave Dallas but I wanted to be

closer to family.

Q: What do you love about San Antonio? Do you miss

anything about Dallas?

A: I love that I am closer to my family. The Mexican food

here is great. I miss my Dallas T2000 co-workers and pa-

tients. It is funny, I sometimes feel that working in San

Antonio is like visiting with distant T2000 relatives. We all

kind of know the same people, do things in the same way

and the offi ce furniture/ layouts are all similar. I am having

a great time meeting /working with the San Antonio thera-

pists and I look forward to visiting with my Dallas T2000

friends at the Christmas party.

i Love What i do!

12

perspectives Joshua Florence, PT

I will never forget the boss I had at my first pediatric job. I

had a lot of respect for her because she had such a unique

perspective on therapy. Not only was she an OT and the

owner of the clinic, she was also the parent of a child with

special needs. Because of her last role, she was able to

form a meaningful connection with the patient’s parents,

even if she had only known them for a few minutes. I often

thought to myself, I wish I had that level of understanding

without having to go through it all as a parent. A couple years

later, I attended am NDT baby course taught by a phe-

nomenal PT. The course

in of itself was a paradigm

shift in thinking as a PT,

but it was the last after-

noon of the course that

really separated it from

others. The teacher took

her microphone off, shut

down the PowerPoint and

sat on the table in front of

us all. She proceeded to

tell us that this is the part

of the course where she

was no longer the PT teaching but the parent of a child

with special needs sharing life with us. Wow. Once again, I

walk away with that same thought, what an amazing point

of view to have as a therapist.

Eleven months later in February 2010, my wife Sharon

called me at work while I was in-between patients. I viv-

idly remember answering the call and not being able to

understand a word Sharon was saying. Once I was able to

calm her I heard, “The doctor’s office called and there are

some things they are concerned with on the ultrasound.

They said she has an extra finger, her stomach is distended

and that her nuchal thickness is excessive. They want us

to go see a perinatologist.” This was the day our lives

would be turned completely upside down.

Sharon was twenty weeks pregnant. Two days prior we had

just found out that we would be having a second daughter.

Elisabetta Christina, and we would call her Elle for short.

The following week we had our first appointment with

the perinatologist, where she confirmed the original find-

ings and suggested we do an amniocentesis for further

testing. We had to wait a

week for the results. On

Wednesday, February 10th

we sat in a cold examina-

tion room as the physician

showed us our daughter’s

karyotype, which revealed

a very large extra piece

of chromosome. She

said that with the size of

the extra piece and the

amount of genetic mate-

rial that existed within

it, we needed to understand that our daughter would be

significantly physically and cognitively impaired. She fol-

lowed this by saying that more than likely she would be

incompatible with life. We were then asked a question

that I thought I would never have to face in my life. She

said because of what we just talked about, it would be

completely understandable if we chose to terminate this

pregnancy and that she would make that referral for us. I

will never forget looking to my right, seeing Sharon, sitting

on the exam table, with her face in her hands sobbing. In

that moment we made a decision to support each other

and love each other no matter what. And that as Elle’s

Joshua Florence will be writing a recurring column from his unique perspective. Not only is he a pediatric PT but he also has a daughter with special needs. He see patients in the San Antonio region of THERAPY 2000.

The Transformative Power of Two Words

"You start to realize that 'high maintenance' mom is just a mom who

is vigilant about her child’s care..."

13

perspectives Joshua Florence, PT

parents we would never stop fighting for her, her sister,

and our marriage. The following day, we had an appoint-

ment with Sharon’s OB/GYN. She reported that she had

talked with the specialist and she was aware of our com-

mitment. She said, in the most compassionate way pos-

sible, “We will continue on with this pregnancy the way

we would with any other, but I need you all to know that if

she doesn’t make it to term and passes away before being

born, it will no longer be considered a miscarriage and so I

strongly recommend you make funeral arrangements now,

so that you won’t have to later.” That’s the day my heart

hit rock bottom.

The next four months could be a book in itself. Trying to

process the emotions of the experience as well as con-

tinue to go about living your life at the same time was

intense. As a pediatric therapist your imagination can take

over as you start piecing together impairments from every

kid you’ve ever seen. As you treat the kids, you wonder,

Will she have this or be like that? It can become very con-

suming if you allow it. The other thing that happens is

you start to look at the parents differently. You start to

realize that “high maintenance” mom is just a mom who

is vigilant about her child’s care and that there are many

things that are happening behind closed doors that impact

her response. We were in the middle of an emotional

roller coaster of still trying to find a diagnosis for Elle.

It took two genetic tests and about four weeks to learn

that Elle had an inverted duplication of chromosome 13,

or Tetrasomy 13. Now that he had a name we could get

a more accurate prognosis. So much for that. The litera-

ture we found on documented cases of this diagnosis had

extremely varied outcomes. Three children diagnosed had

passed away before the age of six .Others were severely

involved, and in one of the articles there was a twelve year

old girl who was in regular education with just extra math

tutoring. So much for providing some direction.

During this same time I was doing an evaluation on a little

baby at work. The mom was still in the process of genetic

testing trying to find a diagnosis for her baby. As I was

taking the history, two words came out of my mouth that

caused me to pause for a second, “I understand.” It was

in that moment that one aspect of the journey hit me,

I did understand. I proceeded to share with the mom

what Sharon and I were currently going through. I told

her that she was the first parent to whom I had ever spo-

ken those two words. I was starting my transformation; a

transformation that was molding me into a therapist like

my first pediatric boss or the PT leading the course. The

therapist who could form a meaningful connection with

other parents only after knowing them for a few minutes.

The therapist who can take off the microphone, turn off

the PowerPoint, sit down and have a candid conversation

with other therapists, NOT as a therapist but as a special

needs parent.

I am very passionate and open to sharing the internal

aspects of being a parent of a child with special needs.

If you have questions as a therapist for a parent of a

special needs child please feel free to ask me joshua.

florence@t2000.com.

Joshua and his family.

14

A little bit about me:I’ve been a social worker for almost nine years. My wonderful husband, Danny, and my precious three year old son, Caleb, fill my life with joy. I was raised in Bue-nos Aires, Argentina on the mission field and have been a Texas resident for thirteen years now. My favorite color is Green & Gold- Sic ‘em Bears!

MONDAY, March 18th (9AM)I go on a home visit and help a mom complete an SSI appli-cation. I enjoy going on home visits and spending time with the children and families, face to face, but I rarely have time to go these days. Last week, I went on a home visit to help a mom with an MDCP interview. I had spoken with this mom several times over the phone and had seen pictures of the patient and family, and I was so excited to finally meet her and her precious family in person. It’s amazing what these families go through. I cannot begin to imagine the day-to-day struggles and hardships- and joys- that encompass taking care of a child with special needs. I encourage everyone, from therapists out in the field to office staff making phone calls to parents, to please be sensitive to these parents and to know that their lives are often very different from yours and mine.

MONDAY, March 18th (lunch)“Lo-nche!”- everyone in the West office knows that this means Jorge Marques (DFW Physician Liaison) has brought in take-out food for the group, usually from some of our lo-

cal favorites like El Tapatios, Sweet Tai Basil, or Jason’s Deli. We used to pretty regularly have “Taco Tuesdays”, but lately we’ll settle for “Taco Any Day”. Lunch will usually involve a group of us eating together in the break room. Other days it involves eating at our desks and taking shifts to answer the phones since lunchtime is usually prime errand time for some of us. Trips to the post office, gas station, Albertson’s across the highway (give Jess and I your game tickets so we can win Monopoly!), or a quick oil change are often much easier done during lunch then after work with tired kids who are just ready to go home after a long day at school.

TUESDAY, March 19thBusy, busy, busy work. Most of my days are filled with track-

ing discharges, faxing notices and reports to doctors, receiv-ing and sending medical records, compiling administrative reports for quality assurance, locating foster kiddos who have moved, calling parents for routine parent phone inter-views, verifying insurance eligibility weekly (after the long harrowing first day of the month which amounts to little sleep and way way way too many emails), etc. It all sounds boring, right? Sometimes it is, but I like to think that every little fax or email is somehow, some way helping a child get the services they need.

WEDNESDAY, March 20th (9am)Weekly staff meeting! Every Wednesday, Keane Byrom (DD) graciously sits down with Jessica Martinez (AOS) and myself to go over our weekly schedules and to keep us in the loop of all the “west happenings”. He always brings us goodies. Blueberry muffins are our favorite as of late-and we are sure to give him a hard time if he forgets!

WEDNESDAY, March 20th (afternoon)Social work referrals often fill my days as well- after all, I AM a social worker. Today I’m sending referrals to Dallas Ramps and ECI, and I’m calling two parents to provide resources- one for behavioral counseling services and one to discuss Medicaid Waiver programs and SSI. Social work referrals seem to come and go in waves… it will be “quiet” for a while and then all of a sudden I’ll get an influx of referrals and requests and it will be difficult to keep up.

a Week in the Life of amy bihL, LmsW

Amy and her favorite things.

THURSDAY, March 21st (10 am)I receive a call from my friend and fellow colleague, Gisele Owens (North/East Division Social Worker). We bounce off opinions with each other regarding a CPS case and we involve another social worker, Collin Gregston (San Anto-nio Division Social Worker) since he used to work for CPS. Let me give a quick “shout out” to all my fellow T2K Social Workers, Gisele, Collin, Gina Suick (East Texas) and Sarah Gonzalez (Austin)- Woot! Woot! While it’s wonderful to have other social workers available to consult with, it is sometimes difficult being so far apart, and it’s nice whenever we have a chance to get together. Two weeks ago, Gisele and Gina and I went to a CEU conference together in Dal-las, and last week, Gisele and I attended an ethics CEU play in Arlington (yes, it was a musical comedy- very creative and very well worth the free CEUs). I’m thankful for all my so-cial work pals and for everything they do for this company!

THURSDAY, March 21st (afternoon)Time for a Dr. Pepper break! Jess and I usually have to take a Dr. Pepper break every now and then. And chocolate breaks are a must as well! I also want to give a “shout out” to our wonderful AOS, Jess. It’s often “just the two of us” in our (sometimes empty) office, and I couldn’t imagine a bet-ter colleague to work with. Thank you for all you do Jess!

FRIDAY, March 22nd (9am)Today happens to be a PTO day for me, but I am attending a Chari-T2000 Board Meeting via phone. As Sec-retary, I go over the agenda with everyone and write down the minutes. We discuss financials, pending charity referrals, suc-cess stories, upcom-ing fundraising events, etc. Chari-T2000 has done so many wonder-ful things for our patients and their families, and I sincerely hope that each of you are currently giving to the charity and that you will also help us by volunteering in our many fundraising efforts this year to help kids get the equipment and services they so desperately need. Thank you for your contributions and for your support!

Amy’s Social Work Survival Kit:

• Coffee, Dr. Pepper, chocolate• Blueberry muffins on Wednesdays (ahem, Keane)• Printer ink, a working voicemail • Music (Christian or Country)• Pictures of my family all around me• Lots of sunshine and some fresh air from time to time!

a Week in the Life of amy bihL (cont'd)Amy's afternoon

Pepper upper.

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chari-tee off!

Save the Date! Friday, September 27th 2013 Woodbridge Golf Course

Join us at the inaugural Chari-T2000 golf tournament! All proceeds go to support children with special needs get the equipment and/or services they require.

We need sponsors!Have a company that you think would be interested in spon-soring part of the tournament? Contact Holly at: Holly.Swannie@t2000.com

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THERAPY 2000

2535 Lone Star Dr.

Dallas, TX 75212