The Selma Times-Journal

On April 19, licensed physical therapist William Perkins began a new chapter in his career when he closed his Next Step private physical therapy practice, and joined the Vaughan Regional Medical Center family as the rehabilitation director at PT Plus.

The move, Perkins said, will allow he and his staff to expand Selma’s physical therapy and rehabilitation services as well as provide optimum patient care.

Perkins was once a part of the Vaughan staff before opening Next Step physical therapy in 2003, but left because the direction of the hospital’s previous administration “was a little different from the direction I wanted to go.”

“I’d been approached in the past about coming back to the hospital,” Perkins said on Friday. “But when (Vaughan CEO) Barry Keel contacted me, the opportunity seemed right. It seemed like a good time to come back.

“(The current administration’s) vision is the same as my vision and that is getting the best people in leadership roles and expanding services and focusing on patient care and quality of care.”

Allen Peters, Vaughan chief operating officer, said William’s return to Vaughan is a positive step for the hospital’s future.

“We are really excited to have someone of William’s quality and caliber to run our physical therapy program and know that it will enhance our ability with inpatients and outpatients,” Peters said.

Since moving to PT Plus, Perkins said his Medicare patients are no longer under the limitation of the Medicare therapy cap, which allots $1,740 annually for physical therapy services.

Because Next Step was a private practice, patients who exceeded the cap limit couldn’t pay for additional care regardless if they were better or not, Perkins said.

On any given day, Perkins and the PT Plus staff works with patients from “five years old to 90 plus,” helping them develop, maintain and restore maximum body movement and functional ability. PT Plus manages neurological conditions such as stroke and multiple sclerosis, arthritis, back and neck pain and sports-related injuries.

Perkins said PT Plus is working closely with orthopedic surgeon Dr. John Park, who opened his practice in Selma in January.

The two parties plan to expand Vaughan’s sports medicine program and work closely with Selma and Dallas County schools’ athletic departments.

“A lot of the high schools do without and working with Dr. Park as well as family medicine to provide full coverage for all the high schools is our goal,” Perkins said.

PT Plus extends its reach far beyond physical therapy, offering speech and occupational therapy as well.

PT Plus, located in the second Frist-Howell building off Medical Center Parkway, is open Mondays through Fridays from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., or “whenever we’re needed,” Perkins said.

For more information, call 334-872-2222.