UK CHS Impact: Samaritan’s Touch
Kaylynne Glover, a biology doctoral student at UK, thought her recent bout of severe arm and shoulder pain was unrelated to the back pain she’d experienced for several years. She had searched for answers and relief to no avail.
“Over the course of five years, I’ve seen a number of health care providers for a variety of symptoms ranging from my arm periodically going numb, general arm pain, specific pain in my medial bicep and cubital portion of my arm, axillary/shoulder pain, tingling in my forearm, and back pain,” Glover said. “Within just one session (at Samaritan’s Touch UK Student Physical Therapy (PT) Clinic), my pain was virtually gone. In fact, after just a five-minute treatment, my range of motion had increased dramatically, and my pain had dropped. To me, it felt like no less than a miracle.”
Glover finally got the answers she has been seeking thanks to the listening skills and clinical knowledge of Samaritan’s Touch PT students and community faculty PTs. The source of her pain: portions of her cervical and thoracic spine were not bending, and another section of her cervical spine was compensating.
Erin Napier, PT class of 2016, treated Glover on her first visit, under the guidance of Stacy Bennett, a PT graduate in the class of 2010, who currently works at KORT Physical Therapy in Lexington.
Napier looks forward to building relationships with his patients as a physical therapist.
“I enjoy the opportunity to work with patients multiple times over the course of their injury,” Napier said. “This allows the provider to get to know the patient much better and understand the whole person and not just the physical ailment they have. I really like that PT looks at not just improving the current injury, but helping the patient create habits that will prevent re-injury.”
Bennett, who participated in what was then the Salvation Army PT Clinic as a student, wanted to provide the same opportunity to current students.
“Samaritan’s Touch Clinic provides an opportunity for students to benefit from additional hours in the clinic,” Bennett said, “and for patients to receive medical care they would likely not have access to if the clinic did not exist.”
The clinic serves as a valuable teaching tool for students, and provides much needed services to under- and un-insured patients in Central Kentucky. It is a collaborative effort that Glover hopes to see continue.
“I don’t think you can place a value on this clinic,” Glover said. “Too many people suffer needlessly because of physical problems that could disappear with treatment and training. If you have to pay out of pocket for treatment, it might not be possible to get relief. It’s wonderful to not only know that you guys offer these services to those who need it and can't afford it but also do a fantastic job at the same time.”
About the Samaritan’s Touch UK Student Physical Therapy Clinic
The Samaritan’s Touch UK Student Physical Therapy Clinic, which opened in January 2011, is housed in the UK HealthCare Samaritan Physical Therapy Clinic. The clinic is open two evenings a week. Patients are able to schedule appointments through the College of Health Sciences Division of Physical Therapy.
The clinic serves six to eight patients each evening, with three PT students working hands-on with patients under the direction of CHS PT faculty or community-based PTs who volunteer their time, while one student coordinator oversees administrative duties for the clinic. The clinic is led by student coordinators whose duties include scheduling other PT students and faculty, opening and closing the clinic, and managing the clinic’s supplies.