Ortho Walk-In Clinic – As of June 8 will temporarily see patients by appointment only. Please call 814-467-3628 to schedule.

Occupational Therapy

Contact Us

Occupational Therapy

600 Somerset Avenue
4th Floor
Windber, PA 15963

Phone: 814-467-3189
Fax: 814-467-3452

What is Occupational Therapy?

Occupational therapy helps people of all ages participate in things they want and need to do through therapeutic use of everyday activities (occupations). Occupational therapy treats conditions that limit the patient’s ability to perform normally in all aspects of daily life – both in and out of the workplace. Occupational therapy focuses on helping patients overcome limitations that prevent them from performing the activities of normal daily life tasks.

Put simply, the experienced and caring occupational therapy team at Chan Soon-Shiong Medical Center at Windber helps patients to do the things they need to do.

The Occupational Therapy Department at CSSMCW offers many options for you and your loved ones. We provide therapy within the hospital on the Wing III Inpatient Unit, CCU, and Windber Hospice Inpatient Unit. Patients are seen at the hospital in an outpatient setting for pediatric conditions, lymphedema therapy, hand therapy, cognitive therapy, pain management, custom hand splints, and upper extremity strengthening.

Our experienced therapists regularly help patients in areas such as:

• Peripheral nerve injuries
• Ergonomics
• Work hardening/conditioning
• Applied kinesiology (a form of muscle energy techniques)
• Neuromuscular re-education
• Ultrasound/electric stimulation
• Sensory integration with children and adolescents
• Functional capacity evaluations

Specialized Occupational Therapy Programs

Breast Cancer Recovery

A program to provide education, support and rehabilitation for patients diagnosed with breast cancer amidst any stage of the treatment process. The individualized program may include soft tissue and scar mobilization, progressive range of motion, techniques to address pain, progressive weight training, home exercise, lymphedema precautions, and monitoring post-surgical swelling.

Hand/Upper Extremity Therapy

We provide comprehensive evaluations and therapy of the upper extremities, focusing on patients’ specific needs with treatments that include restoring range of motion, edema control, scar management, custom splinting, work hardening, ADL programs, and more.

Inpatient Care

Our inpatient therapists work with the entire health care team to enable patients to improve activities of daily living (bathing, dressing, and mobility) and promote increased activity tolerance and strength. At CSSMCW, our patients receive one-on-one holistic treatment every time.

Lymphedema Therapy

We offer a non-invasive treatment for the condition of lymphedema, an abnormal buildup of swelling in the arms, legs, or torso. Therapy includes gentle massage and exercise that helps to drain excess fluids, as well as the application of compression bandages and garments to push fluid out and prevent re-accumulation. Goals of treatment include improvements in swelling, pain, skin abnormalities, mobility and daily functions.

Muscle Energy & Kinesiology

This is a technique that uses postural and spinal analysis to identify muscular imbalances and employs a variety of modalities and treatments, including muscle energy, acupressure, and neurolymphatic/neurovascular pressure points to correct pain and strength deficits.

Pediatric Therapy

This area focuses on children’s occupations—including play, school, and home—and how children function and develop in those specific environments. When children have developmental delays in fine motor skills, gross motor skills, play, attention, sensory regulation, or other skills, OT can help them gain greater independence in all areas of their occupations.

Staff

Jessica Barclay, MOT, OTR/LOccupational Therapist

Jessica specializes in Outpatient Occupational Therapy, Pediatric Occupational Therapy, and Early Intervention.

Elizabeth Pile-Hunsberger, MOT, OTR/L, CLTStaff Occupational Therapist, Complex Lymphatic Therapist

Elizabeth is a Certified Lymphedema Therapist. She specializes Lymphedema Therapy, Outpatient Orthopedic and Neurological Rehabilitation, and Work Hardening and Conditioning.

Cayla Penatzer, MOT, OTR/LStaff Occupational Therapist

Cayla specializes in Pediatric Occupational Therapy, Outpatient Occupational Therapy, and Inpatient Care.

Rosemarie Sekerak, OTR/LStaff Occupational Therapist

Rosemarie specializes in Inpatient Care and Home Assessments.

Laura Shields, MOT, OTR/LStaff Occupational Therapist

Laura specializes in Pediatric Occupational Therapy and Outpatient Occupational Therapy.

Angelica Spaid, MOT, OTR/LStaff Occupational Therapist

Angelica specializes in Pediatric Occupational Therapy, Outpatient Occupational Therapy, and Inpatient Care.

Lisa Valko, OTR/L, ITOT, BCTSStaff Occupational Therapist

Lisa specializes in Outpatient Upper Extremity Orthopedic Therapy, Impact Occupational Therapy, Custom Splint Fabrication, Manual Therapy, Post-Operative Therapy, Vision Therapy, and Hand Therapy.

Traci Duso, COTACertified Occupational Therapist Assistant