Over the past few months, I have been overjoyed to see the response to this column. People have stopped me at the grocery store or restaurants — usually Sparky’s on a Friday night — to say they enjoy reading about all the good things happening at our hospital.

And just a couple weeks ago at the Arkansas State Chili Cook-Off, I was privileged to have more conversations like that with our amazing locals. So many people stopped by our booth to chat about our services and ask questions about our Rural Emergency Hospital designation. If you were one of these people, thank you! I loved our conversation.

We are immensely proud to offer 24/7/365 emergency services, as well as several outpatient services. All our outpatient services fill a need in the community, but this month, I’d like to tell y’all about our physical therapy.

We have two physical therapy clinics, one at 720 N. Gaskill St. No. 9 in Huntsville and the other right here at our hospital in Eureka Springs. Our Eureka Springs clinic recently relocated from Passion Play Road to our hospital facility at 24 Norris St. – a big change that we are ecstatic about.

Now, all our Eureka Springs services are under one roof. It’s a more convenient location for our patients, and our staff gets to work together in the same place. I’ve personally loved getting to visit with our physical therapy team on the days they work in Eureka Springs.

Even more, I’ve been inspired by our physical therapy patients. They really put in the work, and most of them do it with a big smile on their face.

I suspect that’s partly because our physical therapy team is so positive, encouraging and kind. If you’re having a bad day, they do everything they can to make it better. If you’re feeling down on yourself, they build you up. If you feel like you just can’t do it, they remind you that you are strong and resilient. I’m not in physical therapy and I need that reminder some days. It warms my heart to know our patients are received with such warmth and care as they rehabilitate their bodies.

I call all our physical therapy patients when they are discharged to check on them and ensure they received quality care, and they are grateful to our physical therapy team. They often tell me they are still doing their exercises at home, because our team taught them how to maintain the results they achieved through physical therapy.

If you’re recovering from surgery or looking to improve your overall mobility and function, I highly recommend Eureka Springs Hospital Physical Therapy. Every patient — emergency or outpatient — becomes part of our family the moment they walk through our door, and I know our physical therapy team feels the exact same way.

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Samantha Jones is marketing director for Eureka Springs Hospital. You can reach her by calling 479253-7400 ext. 4802 or emailing Samantha. Jones@EurekaSpringsHospital. com.