Shriners Children's Erie 2024

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Mary Eighmy, PT, DPT, OCS, Physician Liaison:

At Shriners Children's Erie we have the privilege of offering a variety of services for children age birth to 21. Our services include but are not limited to pediatric orthopedic surgery, physical medicine and rehab, prosthetists and orthotists, physical therapy, occupational therapy.

Christine Betancourt, PA-C, MPAS, Physician Assistant:

I think in the world of orthopedics, you can have a similar injury as a child and as an adult and you can have a completely different injury, so it's important for the patient to have someone that is very well versed and has seen these types of injuries in kids. We know how to manage them appropriately so that we're not undertreating, but we're also not over treating these kids. And I think that's really important.

Alex Betancourt, CPO, Manager, Pediatric and Orthotic Prosthetic Services (POPS):

So POPS is the pediatric orthotics and prosthetic services. It is the orthotic and prosthetic arm of Shriner's Children's. Orthoses are more commonly known as braces, but they are external devices that are used to either correct or support a weakened or deformed limb that a child would need to be functional. Prosthesis is a little bit more, I suppose, well known. It's an artificial limb, arms or legs primarily. And we treat everything from head to toe. We have a great team down in Tampa who serve our staff and our patients extremely well. It's been nice for us to have that in house feel.

Mary Eighmy:

We have the privilege of working with a multidisciplinary team. And so what that multidisciplinary team approach really means is that a child and a family may be able to see multiple practitioners, potentially all in the same day, which cuts back on multiple appointments for that family and also enhances communication between providers.

Alex Betancourt:

The first thing that we work with with the families is what are their goals, and everything is stemmed from that. It really starts with the patient. That's where we also tie in the multidisciplinary team, because if we see that there's something that we think from a rehab side needs to be addressed, we have them right around the corner just to go ask, pull them into a room and get a consult.

Christine Betancourt:

My goal as a provider is to provide the best possible care that I can, and my job is made significantly easier when I'm here and supported by people that have the same vision in mind. And we don't have to think about if the insurance plan is going to cover X, Y, Z. Each patient gets the same treatment no matter their means. I think as a parent that's what I would want for my child, and I'm happy to be able to provide that with the facility here.

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