SUNRISE, Fla. — Physical therapists Ed Onofrio of Tucson, Ariz., and Nina Van Beaumont of Omaha, Neb., have been named the 2009 Interim HealthCare Therapists of the Year. Interim (www.interimhealthcare.com) is the nation’s largest combined home health care and medical staffing provider, employing more than 75,000 health care workers who serve more than 50,000 people each day. Runners-up for this year’s award were Martha Sandven of St. Paul, Minn., and Rainna Nolan of Atlanta. Although physical, occupational and speech therapists and physical therapist assistants were eligible for the award, all of this year’s winners are physical therapists. October is National Physical Therapy Month.

Tucson physical therapist Ed Onofrio has been a member of the Interim HealthCare Tucson team for nearly seven years, successfully providing care across a very large geographic territory. An active member of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA), Onofrio is recognized as a strong advocate for patients and physical therapists alike. He was nominated for his energy, commitment and dedication to patient care. Onofrio created an exercise video to help senior patients continue their exercise programs after their physical therapy sessions have been completed. He also makes sure the office team at Interim has ergonomically correct work stations, willingly keeps the entire team abreast of all regulatory news, and helps fellow therapists meet documentation and utilization expectations.

Nina Van Beaumont has been a physical therapist with Interim HealthCare’s Omaha office for eight years. She is credited by her colleagues for helping Interim rank as the best agency in Omaha for several public measure reporting periods. A proponent of personal choice, Van Beaumont supports patients who want to integrate homeopathic options and traditional therapy. Also known for her compassionate caregiving and enthusiasm, each patient who is discharged from Van Beaumont’s care receive a pair of knit slippers in the local football team’s husker’s red. Van Beaumont also helps communicate with area physicians about the ways in-home therapy benefit patient recovery.

Runner-up Rainna Nolan of Interim HealthCare in Atlanta is known for her meticulous attention to detail. A physical therapist serving on the Atlanta team for nearly four years, Nolan was credited with taking a leadership role in the development of communications processes for the office staff and in creating the office’s truly multidisciplinary approach to patient care. The personal relationships she develops with patients and caregivers have contributed to the development and success of a large, active outpatient clinic within a premier senior living community. Nolan is known for adapting therapy interventions to the unique needs of the community’s active residents and for achieving fantastic outcomes.

Runner-up Martha Sandven is a physical therapist with Interim HealthCare in St. Paul, Minn. She played an integral role in managing the significant growth of the therapy department and the role of therapy in patient care. Over the past year, she has successfully overseen the development of 12 outpatient therapy clinics in assisted living and independent senior living communities. Driven to deliver high-quality, compassionate, patient-centered care efficiently and within practice guidelines, Sandven conducts detailed orientations with new staff members and conducts regular in-services with existing staffers.

Leadership and staff from Interim HealthCare’s more than 300 franchise locations across the country were invited to submit nominations for the 2009 Therapist of the Year. Winners were chosen by a select group of impartial clinical judges.

Founded in 1966, Interim HealthCare(R) is one of the nation’s leading franchise organizations providing health care personnel at all skill levels in all settings. Through a network of more than 300 offices, independently owned franchisees provide diverse services including community based home health care, hospice and health care staffing. Under the HomeStyle(R) Services brand, Interim franchisees provide non-medical in-home senior services focused on the qualities of an enriched life.

Interim is unique in combining the commitment of local franchise ownership with the support of a national organization that develops innovative programs and quality standards. Interim’s independent franchise owners employ more than 75,000 health care workers who serve 50,000 people each day.

For more information, visit www.interimhealthcare.com .

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ABOUT THE EDITOR: Aria C. Munro works in the book publishing industry and has been a content editor for the Neotrope News Network since 2004. Her black video iPod is most often shuffling Invader Zim episode vids and Thomas Dolby or Dead Can Dance tunez.
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