JCC Occupational Therapy Assistant Program Opens Pro-Bono Clinic To Community – Jamestown Post Journal

Funded by the Appalachian Regional Fee grant, the clinic serves two primary functions; for college kids within the school’s Occupational Remedy Assistant program to develop expertise and confidence by way of hands-on expertise, and to offer companies to households in the neighborhood which can be struggling to obtain companies for causes corresponding to insurance coverage or wait lists. The clinic serves youngsters with behavioral and sensory points, together with these stemming from early drug publicity.

Michelle Godfrey, mission coordinator, stated the clinic is family-based, supporting not simply the youngsters however the households as nicely.

“We’re not simply supporting the youngsters, we’re supporting the mother and father too,” Godfrey stated. “We don’t deal with only one space however a number of, together with when mother and father want assist to handle their children and assist what they’re seeing at residence.”

Whereas the clinic had been seeing just a few children as shoppers earlier than, the official grand opening to the general public was celebrated by way of a ribbon reducing with the Chautauqua County Chamber of Commerce on April 10. Godfrey stated the clinic has been seeing shoppers since September 2023, including that the ribbon reducing itself went very nicely with over 70 RSVPs.

Pictured are JCC Occupational Remedy Assistant Program employees together with Chautauqua County Government PJ Wendel, representatives for Senator George Borrello, Congressman Nick Langworthy, and Assemblyman Andy Goodell, Daniel Heitzenrater, president and CEO of the Chautauqua County Chamber of Commerce, Phillip Landy of the Chautauqua County Legislature, and Randy Daversa of the Jamestown Metropolis Council in the course of the ribbon reducing for the clinic on April 10.
Submitted photograph

Since then, issues have nonetheless been going nicely for the clinic.

“Individuals have reached out to us since,” Godfrey stated. “We’re within the course of of making a survey for individuals to fill out for a referral course of. We haven’t had an abundance of calls however now we have had some attain out which can be eager about turning into part of the clinic.”

Anybody trying to obtain OT companies which have been struggling to obtain them the conventional manner for any cause ought to attain out and be eager about coming to the clinic, Godfrey stated. This will embody households which have youngsters who already obtain school-based remedy however need extra assist.

For extra data on the Jayhawk Discover and Soar Clinic, go to www.sunyjcc.edu/packages/occupational-therapy-assistant-aas/clinic. If eager about companies, the OTA division will be contacted at 716-338-1011 or OTA@mail.sunyjcc.edu. They are going to be processing referrals to see households on the clinic within the fall, and for anybody eager about turning into an Occupational Remedy Assistant, JCC is accepting purposes for OTA college students for the autumn semester.