Our Team

Our interdisciplinary team includes a variety of highly skilled professional staff dedicated to meeting the individual care needs of each client and their family members. Team members may include: 

Physiatrist

A physician specializing in physical medicine and rehabilitation as well as other rehabilitation specialties, prescribe and over see the treatment program of each patient.  Our Medical Director, Dr. Jenness Courtney, III, physiatrist, has over 12 years of experience and has been dedicated to the care and treatment of our clients since the unit opened. 

Consulting Physician

As indicated by the complex medical problems presented for a patient, consultation to another physician specialty may be indicated for safe medical management. Examples: Cardiology, Nephrology, Hemoncology, Urology, Orthopedics, Surgery, Ear-Nose-Throat, Radiology, Psychiatry, Internal Medicine, General Practice, and Family Practice Medicine. 

Rehabilitation Registered Nurses, Licensed Practical Nurses and Certified Nursing Assistants

RN’s provide care 24 hours a day; collaborate with the physicians, therapists and other disciplines to ensure safe medical management while incorporating therapeutic interventions to enhance physical mobility and functional skills learned during therapy sessions. 

So what exactly does that mean? Our nursing staff not only have been trained on medical/surgical conditions, but have received specialized training in areas of nursing unique to the Rehab setting – bladder and bowel problems, safety with swallowing, amputation care and management, short-term and long term intravenous access care and management, pain management, safety with movement or walking, safe equipment use, wound/incision care and management, oxygen use, etc. A primary focus for the Rehab nurse is ongoing patient and family education depending on the individualized needs of each client. The nursing staff work closely with the interdisciplinary team to identify to help ensure the client is “on target” for reaching their goals. We would like you to meet and get to know a few of our MMC Rehab nursing team . . .

Physical Therapists

Provide skilled interventions to improve strength, balance, coordination, neurostimulation, endurance and mobility. 

A physical therapist would be the person who would work on things like –strengthening large muscle groups of the legs and back to improve activities like moving around in bed, going from a lying position to sitting up; being able to sit up with or without assistance; going from sitting up and moving over to a chair or toilet; walking with a piece of equipment or without; learning how to use a piece of equipment to make walking safer. They may use specialized equipment, stretching, heat, cold, massage, weights etc. The physical therapist work closely with the interdisciplinary team to identify to help ensure the client is “on target” for reaching their goals. We would like you to meet and get to know a few of our MMC Rehab physical therapy team . . . 

Beth Chambers Austin, PT, DPT, CWS 
Beth is a physical therapist with the MMC Rehab department. Beth holds a Doctorate of Physical Therapy and is a Certified Wound Specialist. She has worked in both the outpatient and inpatient acute care settings for 12 years, specializing in acute care and wound care. Beth enjoys working at MMC because of the focus on customer satisfaction and the caring family atmosphere. In her spare time, she enjoys gardening, fishing, running, and camping; in addition to her special interest in overall health and wellness. 

Stacy Crall, PT 
Stacy is a physical therapist for MMC working in the outpatient therapy department. She has been a physical therapist for 12 years and has been with MMC for the past 8 years. Stacy has also worked in the home health, acute care, and nursing home settings. Her special interest in treating patients includes working with orthopedic conditions and mobility and balance impairments. About working at MMC she states, “I enjoy working here because of the small town feel. Not only are your co-workers like family, but your patients become like family too.” She also states that she appreciates the fact that the rehab department has a great staff who all have a teamwork mentality, making quality of care the focus. 

Janet Crawford, PT, DPT 
Janet is a physical therapist who holds a Doctorate of Physical Therapy from LSUHSC. She serves as Clinical Manager of Therapy Services at MMC. Janet specializes in wound care and skilled documentation. Janet has worked in a variety of settings throughout her career including rehab and acute care, and is very experienced with both wound care and diabetic foot care. About working at MMC rehab, Janet states “I like the family atmosphere, the focus on customer service, and the many different specially skilled therapists that we have on staff providing service to our patients”. Janet states that she is interested in providing superior therapy services to Minden and the surrounding areas. When she is not working to provide and assure quality therapy services at MMC, Janet enjoys caring for animals, and watching Saints football! 

Lisa Beatty Davis. PT 
Lisa is a Physical Therapist with the MMC Rehabilitation department. Throughout her 20+ year career, Lisa has worked in the outpatient rehab setting, and home health physical therapy setting. Much of her professional experience has focused on treating women throughout the lifespan and treatment of orthopedic conditions, and she states that she most enjoys treating disorders of the spine. Lisa says she likes working at MMC because, “The professionalism of the staff members combined with their friendliness and compassion make MMC a great place to work”. In her spare time, Lisa enjoys gardening, playing tennis, and being outdoors. 

Heather Howard, PT 
Heather is a Physical Therapist with MMC Rehab. Heather has over 10 years experience working in the inpatient rehab setting. In addition she has worked in home health and outpatient settings. Heather states, “I love working at MMC because it is small and friendly”. “My co-workers are awesome and I enjoy getting to know my patients.” Outside of the work setting, Heather loves spending time with her husband and two daughters. She also loves playing tennis and jogging. 

Chelsy Parker, PT 
Chelsy is a Physical Therapist with the MMC rehabilitation department. She has been a physical therapist for 9 years and prior to that she was a physical therapy assistant for 3 years. Chelsy is most interested in treating injuries or disorders of the joints and the spine. She is proficient with foot orthotics and inserts, as well as lymphedema therapy; including massage and wraps. Chelsy enjoys working at MMC because of, as she states “the very fun atmosphere, and the structured physical therapy sessions.” 

Patricia Shelton, PTA 
Patricia is a physical therapy assistant who works in the outpatient rehabilitation department at MMC. She has been practicing for over 10 years in various settings such as long term acute care, inpatient rehab, acute hospital, and home health. She has been a therapist with MMC for the past 8 years. She says she like MMC because “Quality of care and the friendly home environment of this community based hospital”. Patricia enjoys providing therapy focused on treating the geriatric population, and orthopedic and neurological conditions. After work hours, she enjoys being with family, listening to music, and watching movies. 

Juanita Arrington 
Juanita is a physical therapy technician with the rehab department and is also a Certified Nursing Assistant and Certified Restorative Aid with 20 years experience. She has had experience in both outpatient therapy settings as well as long-term settings. Juanita states that she finds satisfaction with her job in helping patients get stronger and maintain the highest mobility and quality of life after illness or disease. 

Occupational Therapists

Provide assistance in regaining self-care abilities such as eating, grooming, toileting, bathing and dressing. 

An occupational therapist would be the person who would work on things like – being able to perform grooming activities (brushing teeth, combing hair, washing the face); safe upper/lower body dressing (putting on shirt/blouse/dress/undergarments/ pants/socks/shoes); safe toileting activities (transferring to the toilet/pulling up or down pants u0026amp; undergarments/performing peri-care); strengthening muscle groups of the upper body, arms, and hands. The occupational therapist work closely with the interdisciplinary team to identify to help ensure the client is “on target” for reaching their goals. We would like you to meet and get to know a few of our MMC Rehab occupational therapy team . . . 

Mandie Bruyninckx, LCOTA 
Mandie is an a Licensed Occupational Therapy Assistant with the MMC inpatient and outpatient rehab department, as well the MMC inpatient geriatric psychiatric unit. Mandie has worked here at MMC for the past 4 years and prior to that worked 8 years in skilled nursing facilities. About working at MMC, Mandie states “I like how much the patient is valued and the emphasis placed on customer service.” When she is not working at MMC, Mandie enjoys spending time with her family and friends, being involved at her church, going to ZUMBA exercise class, and eating desserts. 

April Cassidy, LCOTA 
April is a Licensed Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant with the MMC Rehabilitation Department. April has worked in the inpatient and outpatient rehab department for 9 years at MMC. She considers inpatient rehabilitation a special area of focus for her. She states “I enjoy working with a great group of people at MMC that are like family to me.” Outside of the work setting, April enjoys spending time with family and friends, camping, fishing, riding 4-wheelers, and playing with her Boston terrier “Dottie”. She also enjoys music and dancing. 

Kim Lee, LOTR 
Kim is an Occupational Therapist with 20 years of experience in the field of OT. Her range of experience includes settings such as inpatient rehab setting, outpatient therapy setting, long-term care and skilled nursing facility settings, acute, pediatrics, home health, and geriatric psychiatric setting. Kim’s specialties include hand therapy, pelvic floor dysfunction, splinting, and neurological rehabilitation. Kim enjoys working at MMC because she says, “I work with a great team of people that I admire and respect and working in a smaller community feels more like working with family”. When not at work treating patients, Kim enjoys camping, movies, time with family, board games, and animals and nature.

Speech-Language Pathologists (Also known as Speech Therapy)

Evaluate and treat disorders of swallowing and communication; they also treat cognitive impairments, which can include trouble speaking, understanding, planning, organizing, remembering or solving everyday problems. 

What a speech therapist does can often be confused or overlooked because they are involved in many different areas involving not only how a person speaks, but overall how the brain works. The speech therapist provides “therapy” for the brain. This could involve working on improving how we take in information and process it with our minds for it to make sense; working on how to improve taking our thoughts and making it into words, sentences, etc. making our thoughts understood or both. The speech therapist may work on what we call “critical thinking skills” for example, balancing a checkbook, planning a trip, making a grocery list, taking medications, and so forth. Safety with swallowing is also another specialized area the speech therapist will provide expertise. They will use a variety of specialized techniques to help improve the areas needing improvement. 

The speech therapist work closely with the interdisciplinary team to identify to help ensure the client is “on target” for reaching their goals. We would like you to meet and get to know our MMC Rehab speech and language pathology therapy team . . . 

Francis (Frank) Piccolo, Speech Therapist 
Frank is a speech therapist with the Rehab department at MMC. He holds a Master’s Degree in Speech Language Pathology and a Minor in Counseling and Guidance. In addition, he holds a Certificate of Clinical Competence from the American Speech and Hearing Association. His specialties include working with patients who have suffered strokes, cognitive disorders, voice disorders, and providing swallowing studies and treatment, and Back to Work therapy. Frank has worked in a variety of settings including schools, home health, private practice and rehabilitation. In his spare time, he enjoys gardening, learning, reading, and visual arts. About working at MMC Frank states, “If I ever find myself needing medical attention, Minden Medical Center is where I would want to be!” 

Clinical Care Managers

May include social workers and registered nurses to provide assistance with emotional, social, community or financial concerns impacting treatment. The clinical care managers are the individuals wearing multiple hats. They are able to provide one-on-one counseling; act as a liaison between the patient, family and interdisciplinary team; exploring financial assistance programs; obtaining equipment; setting up referrals to other organizations e.g. home health, outpatient, skilled nursing facilities, etc.; and much more. 

The professional physician, therapy, nursing, social work and other staff provide compassion, caring, understanding and expertise to what can be a very difficult situation causing rehabilitation admission. Our staff recognizes the tremendous impact a life changing event can have on both the individual as well as family members. Family members are encouraged to play an integral part in the treatment program and goal-setting process to help maximize the recovery of each patient. Families are asked to partner in the healing process by attending weekly treatment team meetings, interacting with the Rehabilitation Team members, participating in family training and home programs.