HURRICANE ALTA 

While we are too landlocked to have experienced the fury of Hurricane Irene first hand, recently, our own little hurricane appeared at ALTA. First, Mike left our practice, then a truck hit Erin, and most recently Charlie announced his plans to start his own business.

Though change is more certain than almost anything, very few people welcome it. It was Darwin who said, "It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change." At ALTA, our goal is not just to survive, but to evolve in positive ways so we continue to provide the best Physical Therapy in our community. In that spirit, I present the changes coming to ALTA.

CHARLIE'S NEXT STEP

It was an exciting day when I finished up my masters degree and walked away from Regis University with a powerful skill called "'Manual Therapy". My degree was in Physical Therapy, but given my past, it was so much more than that. You see, I was "raised" at ALTA, where physical therapy has always been elevated to a new level in which hands on manual therapy, critical thinking, and excellent results were always the number one priority. When I entered my profession as a new therapist, I was a bit let down by what PT had become in the real world. I learned a ton in those first few years of practice. However, lack of good manual therapy, standardized and impersonal treatment techniques, frequent use of modalities like ultrasound, and high volume/low quality priorities started my yearning for the way I was "raised" at ALTA.

So began my course to get back to where quality, personalized attention, and results were valued above all else. During this journey, I noticed another trend in my profession. What I'd seen playing out at many clinics in Colorado was also happening nationally. My parents, aunts, uncles, and friends around the country were all struggling to find good manual therapy help when they needed it. I won't go into detail, but the stories I heard about how they were treated by their physical therapists made me cringe. Yet all I could do was apologize. It seems the industry as a whole is moving in a direction of standardizing care (treating based on a research trend rather than treating the individual) prioritizing volume over quality, and taking the skill and critical thought out of my profession.

Luckily, ALTA cried foul a few years ago and began the process of extracting themselves from the powerful forces that are driving physical therapy in this unsavory direction. In this way, Jane and Forrest have always been leaders in the industry and an inspiration to me. They represent the way I felt as I exited PT school ready to change the world and the profession in my own way. They made the tough decision to buck the industry trend and it has paid off for the clients who deserve good care (and everyone does). I have been honored and inspired to be a part of that movement for the past 5 years.

Now, I find myself at a crossroad . . .