Cal State Long Beach opened the doors to its first physical therapy and rehabilitation services center Monday.
The new center, called PT@The Beach, is located in the LifeFit Center inside the Kinesiology building. According to Director of PT@The Beach Dr. James Buenaventura, the new center, which took two years of planning, will provide services for students, faculty and staff.
Students can visit the center for assessment without a doctor’s referral for their first visit, Buenaventura said. After the first visit, however, students must receive a referral from a doctor before they can access all rehabilitation services offered at the center.
The on-site physical therapy employees can also assess and evaluate injuries in emergency situations, according to Buenaventura.
According to Kay Cerny, department chair and program director of physical therapy, there was a need for a physical therapy center on campus not only for student athletes but also for other students and faculty members.
“It’s for all students who might go to the [Student Recreation and Wellness Center] and injure themselves or might injure themselves in any way doing sports on their own … or even faculty and staff,” Cerny said.
Cerny said that physical therapy can help people relieve their pain and get them back on the road to recovery.
“Physical therapy is one-on-one treatment that uses passive and active exercises to make the patient stronger, mainly through orthopedic services,” Cerny said. “This treatment is beneficial for anyone who may have a sprain, fracture, lower back pain or any sports-related injuries.”
According to Buenaventura, the new center also allows pre-physical therapy students to work with clinicians as physical therapy aids, as well as complete internship requirements for graduation.
In addition, orthopedic students will be allowed to complete their residency through the physical therapy center starting next year.
Buenaventura said the center plans to offer these options because the majority of physical therapy schools require a certain number of pre-internship hours inside a clinical facility.
The center accepts all insurance networks, including student insurance purchased through the university. More information on the physical therapy center can be found at the LifeFit Center or by visiting www.csulb.edu/colleges/chhs/ptbeach/.