Walla Walla, Washington is a Hidden Gem!

JB News

Walla Walla Valley has much to offer its residents and visitors. Miles of road and mountain biking trails are available for cyclists of all abilities. For those who like to move fast or experience speed from the bleachers, head out to the local drag racing strip. In the winter, Bluewood Ski Area is a gathering place for many of the locals who enjoy skiing and snowboarding on a less crowded mountain. There are 120 wineries in Walla Walla Valley. You can go on tasting tours, drive through the vineyards for spectacular views, or head out to the many restaurants that serve wines from the local wineries. Many city parks including a dog park are available to residents and visitors. Lakes in the area provide places for hiking, camping, fishing, and paddle boarding. This truly is a wonderful place to live and work. 

Another great place In Walla Walla is Park Manor Rehabilitation Center. A skilled nursing facility that some residents of Walla Walla call home or come for a short time to recover before heading back home. Park Manor has a strong nursing and therapy team and are looking for a Speech Language Pathologist to join the them. Come see what Walla Walla and Park Manor have to offer!

Pacific Care - Grays Harbor Now Hiring!

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What do Kurt Cobain (Alternative Rock Star), Bryan Danielson (WWF wrestler Daniel Bryan) and Peter Norton (Norton Anti-Virus) have in common? They are all from Aberdeen WA, Grays Harbor county. Grays Harbor is also known for its history in the lumber industry, top surfing spots on the Washington coast, amazing cranberry bogs, and some of the best offshore fishing and clamming in Washington State. Only an hour away from Olympia on the scenic Olympic highway. Quaint communities make up all of Grays Harbor and the residents love living in and being from the area.

Among these communities in Hoquiam, WA, Pacific Care and Rehabilitation is a skilled nursing facility that provides the best therapy and nursing services in the area. The staff at Pacific Care love their residents and live their mission to dignify long-term care and skilled rehab in the eyes of the world.

They have an opening on their in-house therapy team for an Occupational therapist. The facility is locally owned and operated with decisions made by local leaders. Let your voice be heard and be able to practice at the top of your license. Be a part of amazing clinical development, career growth, and leadership training opportunities. Come be part of something great! 

Pacific Care is currently offering an amazing career opportunity for an Occupational Therapist. Find out more about this amazing opportunity and browse our complete list of therapy job opportunities.

Revitalized Vital Signs! The Winners Are…..

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By Tamala Sammons, M.A. CCC-SLP, Senior Therapy Resource
A huge thank-you to everyone who submitted information on how vital signs in therapy are being integrated at their facilities. We had amazing entries from across the organization. We were blown away by how vital signs have become such an integral piece of therapy services. We read the most clinically comprehensive documentation and saw how decisions around care were driven by vital signs during therapy sessions. We also were impressed on how vital signs data collected in therapy was used for IDT communication to ensure the very best collaborative care.

Overall we want to thank everyone – whether you submitted something in or not – for your focus on providing the best care using all resources, including integrating vital signs.

Here are this year’s Revitalized Vital Signs champions! Please join me in congratulating and celebrating the following facilities:

Vital Signs Grand Champions

● Shawnee PARC – Angie Taylor, Therapy Leader
● The Oaks at Lakewood – Glenn Aricaya, Therapy Leader
● Keystone Ridge – Tara Meyerpeter, Therapy Leader
● Cedar Pointe – Dustin Rex, Therapy Leader
● Legend Oaks Waxahachie – Evette Ramirez, Therapy Leader
● City Creek Post-Acute – Ray Yarman, Therapy Leader
● San Marcos Rehab – Ashley Keenan, Therapy Leader
● Rowlett Health and Rehab – Dana Pike, Therapy Leader
● Hays Nursing and Rehab – Reed Edwards, Therapy Leader
● Victoria Post-Acute – Dawn Thompson, Therapy Leader
● Kirkwood Manor – Heidi Gulley, Therapy Leader

Vital Signs Champions

● Legend – Gladewater – Jason Goza, Therapy Leader
● Northern Oaks – Sarah Adams, Therapy Leader
● Legend – Greenville – George Palin, Therapy Leader
● Windsor Rehab – Augustus Gray, Therapy Leader
● McCall – Ellie Toscan, Therapy Leader
● Rose Villa – Loren Penuliar / Lito Ortiz, Therapy Leaders

Vital Signs Honorable Mentions

● Hunter’s Pond – Sonia West, Therapy Leader
● Mesa Springs Health Care Center – Monica Sharpe, Therapy Leader
● Cambridge – Kapil Thakkar, Therapy Leader
● Legend – Paris – Quinn Hall, Therapy Leader

“Driving on the Healing Pass”

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(Photo of June with therapists Joseph Zaldua, OT, and Camille Navata, OTA)

Submitted by Donald Millares, TPM, Glenwood Care Center, Oxnard, CA
Today, we celebrated with one of our outpatients who successfully drove herself to the facility, something she could have not done in the last six months. Our Occupational Therapy Assistant who mainly has her for sessions cried in joy with our patient, celebrating her achievement. Words cannot describe the emotion that was seen as the whole rehab department clapped in joy.

Our patient June has been coming to our facility for Occupational Therapy Outpatient Services to work on both of her hands to regain function and take her life back into control. Prior to coming, she was one of our in-person residents who then discharged out of our facility and became our very first outpatient. During her stay, she developed a strong bond with the nursing staff, housekeepers, and our amazing Occupational Therapy Assistant Camille Navata and Occupational Therapist Joe Zaldua. She regained her ability to do her daily routines while wearing a soft cast that covered all the way up to her PIP joints of her fingers. Once the soft cast was removed and she was cleared for discharge, she declined to attend other outpatient clinics in the area that were recommended by her MD and decided to work with Camille and Joe once again for our outpatient services.

June knows how they work and established a great client/therapist relationship and entrusted their expertise on her road to recovery. Working together, they were able to break down scar tissue to allow her to regain strength for functional grasp patterns and increased ROM for both hands and upper extremities. With the constant intensive Occupational Therapy sessions, June was able to complete her main goal of driving her car again – something she could have not done ever since her incident that left her hands immobilized for quite some time.

Now with the regained ability, June has the freedom to go places and not have to rely on others to drive her. Camille and Joe’s dedication shows exactly why we do the things we do and celebrate the achievements of our patients – to better our patients and guide them on the healing path of independence.

Leadership Highlight: Rehab Tech to BOM

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Submitted by Mira Waszak, Therapy Resource – Pennant WA
After graduating college in 2010, Russell Sells found himself in a tough job market in the greater Sacramento area. Unable to find full-time work as someone without much job experience, he settled for multiple part-time positions while still searching for full-time work. After a conversation with a friend from college who was living in the Olympia, Washington, area, he decided to apply for work up in Washington.

Russell says: “One of the first positions I applied for was a Therapy Assistant position (thinking it was a Rehab Tech job). The first person I spoke with was Mira Waszak. She informed me they were looking for licensed assistants but also offered to put me in contact with someone who needed a Rehab Tech for a new building acquisition in Olympia. The next person I spoke with was Scott Hollander, who at the time was the Therapy Director for Olympia Transitional Care and Rehabilitation. After spending about six months at Olympia as a Rehab Tech, Scott pushed for me to apply for the open Admission’s Coordinator position within the building. I spent the next two years as the Admissions Coordinator for OTCR, which turned out to be a very challenging time for the building as a whole, but also helped me grow enormously as a leader. I was ultimately offered the open BOM position near the end of 2017 and have been going strong ever since!

“Truth be told, I fell in love with LTC thanks to working with Scott and the therapy team at Olympia Transitional Care. Their passion for the residents they care for and willingness to teach me what they knew about the industry helped foster my interest in LTC as a career opportunity.”

Leadership Highlight: Roohi Kapoor

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Submitted by Kai Williams, Therapy Resource, Keystone East, TX
Roohi Kapoor, PT, DPT, CTO Operations Manager of Copperfield Healthcare and Rehab, Houston, TX

Don’t you love a good story about the person who never, ever thought they would be in a certain position, and then they really impress us and surpass the mark that they thought was set for them? Yeah, me, too!

Roohi Kapoor, PT, DPT, is the current Operations Manager at Copperfield Healthcare and Rehab. Prior to that, she ran a powerhouse program as the DOR at Mason Creek. As a DOR, she hesitantly stepped into that role about three years ago and quickly shifted the clinical and operational metrics upwards — so much so that she earned the coveted honor of Chief Therapy Officer in early 2021. She likes to say that she has grown up within Ensign-affiliated facilities. She began her start as the PT at Misty Willow, even then she challenged the status quo beyond the assumed expectations of a staff PT. I would be crazy to ignore that while she has been on her leadership journey, she was also feeding her passion for learning and working on her transitional Physical Therapy Doctorate, which she earned in mid-2021. Talk about one to watch! This example of intentional growth further supports that we are a leadership development company that just so happens to be in healthcare.

Leadership Highlight: Carly Kenney

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Submitted by Asa Gardine, Sunstone Therapy Resource – Utah
Carly Kenney began with our facility when she wasn’t actually intending to. She came to Coral Desert Rehab for a job interview to be a rehab tech. She didn’t realize that we shared a parking lot with a competitor outpatient therapy company where she had the actual appointment. As the rehab director at the time, I was looking for a rehab tech anyway, so I went ahead with the interview and offered her the job on the spot, and she accepted. We’re all so blessed that she did!

After spending a few years making our Therapy department shine by taking on every kind of responsibility we could throw at her, Carly saw an opportunity for growth within Coral Desert in the admissions and case management department. As much as we missed her influence in therapy when she left, Carly made an immediate positive impact with our admissions team and made great relationships with her hospital contacts and insurance case manager contacts. After completely owning her job responsibilities and even more duties, beyond that she saw another opportunity for growth within our Sunstone Market. She is now officially the Managed Care Part B Authorization Resource and is using her skills to support many buildings. It has been remarkable to watch someone share their talents with our organization and affect so many lives of staff and patients. It will be exciting to see what more she is capable of as she grows and progresses.

CTO Recognition: Todd Burgener, PT, DPT, CBIS, CTO/DOR Paramount Health & Rehabilitation, Salt Lake City, UT

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Submitted by Gary McGiven, Therapy Resource, Milestone, Utah

Todd (pictured left with Gary McGiven) has done amazing things as the Therapy leader at Paramount in Salt Lake City. He has grown a team from all PRN employees to a full PT, OT, and SLP staff with an ADC ranging from 45-60. Todd and his team have set the bar in our market for what is possible with long-term care. They have gone from a sub-$5 PNSD to $40+ PNSD. They have some of the happiest residents you will ever see and have some amazing rehab stories. They have also partnered with Nursing and Rec Therapy, providing amazing groups in a time where the socialization that groups bring has been vital to quality of life.

CTO Recognition: Michael Ong, PT, DOR, Legacy Rehabilitation and Living, Keystone West

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Submitted by Jon Anderson, DPT, Senior Therapy Resource, Keystone, Texas

When Michael Ong began his studies in the Philippines, he set out on a course to be a surgeon. As he continued his studies and began his internship, he realized that he wanted to provide more hands-on care. He discovered a passion for exercise and patient progression, which he sees as the backbone of physical therapy. Michael started his career in the United States in Florida as a physical therapist. He established core skills and a love for his profession and his patients.


After 11 years in Florida, his job as a travel therapist took him to a position in Amarillo, Texas. Even though he was originally scheduled to be there for only three months, he decided to become a permanent member of the team and took a full-time position under then DOR, Marisa Parker. When Marisa became the executive director of the facility, Michael stepped into the DOR role in September 2019. Hesitant at first, he grew into a true leader. The facility program had already been successful and expectations were high. Michael stepped up to the challenge, seeking out ways to learn everything he could about leading his team. He has been a trailblazer in long-term care programming and frequently leads Keystone West and the top one-third in all Keystone therapy metrics, all while finding new and creative ways to improve patient outcomes.


Michael has worked tirelessly to improve relationships in the Amarillo community and continues to lead the West market in outpatient development. He displays true ownership, leading in the important metric of DOR productivity while continuously providing teachings and trainings to members of his department and their clinical partners. Michael is certified as a wound care specialist, LSVT BIG, Clinical Instructor, and is credentialed in the cutting-edge incontinence program of PTNM. He utilizes all these skills to improve outcomes and develop future leaders on his team. He has embodied CAPLICO in his own facility as well as with our newest West market acquisition, The Medical Lodge of Amarillo, assisting with training and development with the Therapy team. Michael continues to grow and evolve, joining IDT committees to better Keystone, and we are so proud to honor Michael, recognizing him as Chief Therapy Officer! Congratulations, Michael!