by John Dowd, Editor
Florence Physical Therapy just opened their new Aquatic Therapy Center. Part of a much larger therapy network in the valley, the company actually has eight locations, from Darby to Florence, and one in Frenchtown. Its first location was in Hamilton, and opened 27 years ago. Ever since, the business has been taking the valley physical therapy scene by storm. According to one of the partner owners, Doug Martin, their success comes down to a few things: prioritizing patient care, space design and ultimately, therapists making therapy decisions.
Martin and his wife, Heidi Martin, are both partners within the company and they are both board certified therapists. Their third partner, Jackie Day, is also a board certified therapist. In fact, Florence Physical Therapy has more board certified therapists than any other practice in the state. According to Doug, that is a big feather in their cap, and shows how they prioritize their training. Having therapist owners also means the company makes therapy-oriented decisions that directly benefit the patients.
Doug Martin stands in the gym room of the new Florence Physical Therapy building. The design incorporates a lot of natural light and views of the mountains. Photo by John Dowd.
The company is privately owned and not affiliated with any hospitals. “This is all we do,” said Doug. They stick to physical therapy and they take pride in how well they do it. With three therapists in the Florence location, they have over 70 years of experience between them. Within the greater practice, they have over 250 years in total experience.
According to Doug, over the years they have learned, “keep it simple, don’t worry about the fluff, just a singular focus on getting the patient better.” That singular focus on physical therapy is a big part of what Doug believes has kept them around so long.
The company has been open in Florence for 15 years. In that time, it has grown to the point where, according to Doug, “we couldn’t service the number of clients we had.” So, they needed to expand. Florence Physical Therapy just moved into the new building Monday of last week. For them, the design of that building was extremely important, and Doug added, “we felt the community trusted us enough to make that financial investment worth it.”
That new building design Doug spoke about was a keystone in the improvement of care for their patients, and is something they try to include in all their locations. According to Doug, there are two important elements when it comes to designing a therapy space. “Patients need light and volume,” said Doug. This means they designed their building with high ceilings, and lots of big windows to let in the natural light. Doug said this is extremely important to promote both better mood and improved healing.
They even chose their color palette specifically to promote health and healing, as well as comfort. Their design choices were based heavily on the Mayo Clinic, which they visited several times for ideas. Doug explained these choices help patients relax and make the space more comfortable for the staff as well.
Along with the overall design, the star of the new building is the new pool. Doug said they are always looking to offer new and better services to patients, and the pool is one of the biggest things. The pool they use is the same many professional sports teams have, and is built to a high standard for fitness and therapy. The pool includes a built-in treadmill, water jets and more.
The new Florence Physical Therapy Aquatic Therapy Center’s pool incorporates design and technology utilized by the nation’s top sports teams. Photo by John Dowd.
“If you’re not quite ready for the land, you can do well in that environment first,” said Doug, explaining that they will often start a patient in the water before they move to the gym.
For those interested in seeing the new facility, Doug invited the community to Florence Physical Therapy’s open house, on June 2. The open house will run from 2 to 6 p.m. at their new location, at 267 Rodeo Drive. Refreshments will be available, and all the therapists will be there. Visitors are encouraged to ask questions and speak to the staff, as well as tour the facility.
For those with more questions, Florence Physical Therapy can be reached by calling (406) 273-9033. Hamilton Physical Therapy can be reached by calling (406) 375- 0988. More information can also be found on the company website, hamiltonpt.com.