A $10,000 grant from the Titmus Foundation and an $8,780 grant from the Greater Lynchburg Community Foundation, the Faye Marcum Mifka Fund, the Jeff and Sandra Wilson Fund, and the Robert R. Bowen, MD Foundation Fund have funded the purchase and replacement of treatment tables for the University’s Doctor of Physical Therapy program.
“Grants from foundations play a large role in increasing our capacity to serve our community,” said Erika Mork, Lynchburg’s director of institutional giving. “We’re so grateful for longstanding relationships with philanthropic partners like the Titmus Foundation and the Greater Lynchburg Community Foundation, which make it possible for us to meet programmatic and equipment needs such as these.”
The new tables, which arrived this month, were needed for the University of Lynchburg Community Health Center, a pro bono, student-run physical therapy clinic.
According to Dr. Jason Grandeo, the clinic’s director and a member of Lynchburg’s DPT faculty, the clinic’s 10-year-old tables had “started to fall apart a little bit. We have folks coming in who are unable to receive care elsewhere because they can’t afford it and how would it make them feel to be treated on tables that are ripped and it didn’t look very nice?’”
Another concern was that electrical outlets on some of the tables were broken, causing safety concerns. “The new tables are actually rechargeable and battery-operated,” Grandeo said. “It takes away the cords while we’re treating patients and removes concerns about tripping.”
The University of Lynchburg Community Health Center offers free physical therapy services to people of all ages in Central Virginia and experiential learning opportunities for Lynchburg’s DPT students. Students treat patients, supervised by Lynchburg faculty and local PTs. They also mentor each other and serve together on the clinic’s board.
