Assessment of Physical Therapy Needs at Third Street Clinic

Health care is being provided free of charge at the Third Street Clinic in Grand Forks, North Dakota, for those people who are uninsured or who do not qualify for Medicare or Medicaid. Physical Therapy is not presently offered as a service at the Clinic. Physical Therapy is part of comprehensive health care. Therapists provide caring and expertise in the areas of neurological rehabilitation, orthopedic/musculoskeletal problems, pediatrics, and work hardening. As volunteers, therapists are involved in providing care at free clinics across the nation. The Third Street Clinic agreed to have a needs assessment performed to identify those clients who could potentially benefit from physical therapy services. The needs assessment was conducted via a chart review of the Clinic\u27s patients. Out of 120 charts that were reviewed 34 charts or 28.3% were determined to be potential physical therapy patients. Demographic data describing Third Street Clinic clientele are also presented