New speech therapist joins Skiff Medical Center

Skiff Medical Center recently added Emily Meier, a speech-language pathologist who lives in Williamsburg, to its Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Department. The Iowa native will be a full-time addition to the staff, although that wasn’t originally the plan.

It all started with an Internet search.

“I did a Google search of all the hospitals within about a 60 mile radius of where I lived,” she said. “I found Skiff’s website and saw that they had a part-time speech therapy position open. I was looking for full-time, but I really liked what I read about Skiff, so I decided to pursue it anyway.”

Matt Scotton, director of physical medicine and rehabilitation, and Skiff’s other speech-language pathologist, Ashley Panno, really liked what they saw in Meier’s personal qualities and skill set. So, when they offered her the job, they sweetened the deal and made it a full-time position.

“Emily impressed all of us. She was flexible and hungry to learn,” Panno said. “The right fit doesn’t necessarily come along all the time, so we adjusted so that we could keep her talent and work together to grow our various programs.”

“When therapists are that excited to work together and expand a service line, it becomes an easy decision,” Scotton said. “Emily has a passion for speech therapy and taking care of people. She’s fun and energetic and excited to help her patients.”

When not working — or making the hour-long commute from Williamsburg to Newton — Meier enjoys reading, being outside and working around the house. She also spends a lo of time with her 11-year-old horse, Beau.

“I love riding horses,” she said. “Riding is my relaxation, my escape.”

Scotton said much of the growth in the need for speech therapy services is a credit to Panno’s hard work over the past two years at Skiff. He said the growing demand in the home health and Skiff Swing Bed Program necessitated an expansion in staffing.

The Swing Bed Program is for patients not yet ready to go home after hospitalization, but still in need of professional nursing or therapy services. Qualified patients “swing” from acute inpatient status to a transitional or rehab level of care while maintaining a comfortable location.

Many swing-bed patients are in need of the various rehabilitation services provided within the hospital, including speech therapy, physical therapy and occupational therapy. In many ways, the variety of the work is one of the reasons Meier joined Skiff.

Meier is an Iowa native who majored in Communication Sciences and Disorders at the University of Iowa and received her masters degree at St. Ambrose University in Davenport. For her, Skiff was a perfect fit because she didn’t want to limit herself to just one area of speech therapy.

“It’s such a broad field,” she said. “From swallowing to cognition, stroke patients, brain injuries, developmental delays ... there are so many ways to help people. I was drawn to working in a hospital setting, where I could work with a variety of patient types and disorders.”

Panno, who is serving as a mentor to Meier as she settles into the job, agreed Skiff is an ideal setting for a therapist with varied interests.

“Not many jobs can provide the full spectrum for this career,” she said. “But everything a speech language pathologist can do, we provide here in Newton.”

In the first month since she was hired, Meier said she has been pleased with the experience. She also likes the variety of people she works with in the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Department.

“I really like it that the [department] has both people my age, filled with enthusiasm, plus experienced staff who have been here for years and know how things work,” she said. “They’ve all been so encouraging and helpful.”

To learn more about speech therapy at Skiff Medical Center, please call (641) 791-4380.

Bob Eschliman can be contacted at (641) 792-3121, ext. 423, or at beschliman@newtondailynews.com via email.