Today we’d like to introduce you to Dana Walsh.
Dana, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
When I was growing up, I always knew I wanted to help people. I started at a young age volunteering for the Special Olympics and working with kids. When I was in college, I majored in community health with a focus on physical therapy. I continued volunteering in hospitals throughout college, which just fired up my passion that much more.
After graduating from Texas A&M with my Bachelor of Science, I was accepted into a master’s program for physical therapy. When I was doing my initial clinical rotation, I very distinctly remember thinking that I could not imagine a better profession than this. I graduated from physical therapy school in 1999 from The University of Texas Medical Branch. My first job after graduation was at Cook Children’s in Fort Worth as a physical therapist on the neuro-rehabilitation unit. I was amazed at how resilient kids could be, and I was honored to be part of their journey to recovery.
As I grew in my career, I moved into a leadership role as a manager of an outpatient clinic with Our Children’s House (OCH). I was still working with patients but also developed my passion for leadership. As my career developed, I moved into a Director of Operations role at OCH and learned about expanded operations outside of therapy. Two years ago, OCH was acquired by Children’s Health. This was a very exciting time for me. I was honored to move into my current role of Senior Director for Rehabilitation and Therapy Services for Children’s Health.
In this role, I am responsible for the oversight, growth and development of the Rehabilitation and Therapy Services program across the Children’s Health system, including our three inpatient hospitals and an expansive outpatient program across the DFW area. I feel so blessed to be in this role and help make life better for children through the work my team does.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It has been a smooth road. I only want to note that working in healthcare can be very complex with changing healthcare models.
Please tell us about Children’s Health.
Children’s Health is an amazing nonprofit pediatric health care system. It is the eighth-largest pediatric healthcare provider in the nation and the leading pediatric health care system in North Texas, providing a full spectrum of healthcare services — from daily wellness and primary care to specialty visits and critical care. Holding eight disease-specific care certifications from The Joint Commission, Children’s Health has been consistently named one of the nation’s top pediatric providers by U.S. News & World Report.
The Children’s Health system includes Children’s Medical Center Dallas, as well as Children’s Medical Center Plano, Our Children’s House inpatient rehabilitation hospital, multiple specialty centers, rehabilitation facilities, home health, physician services and the Children’s Medical Center Research Institute at UT Southwestern.
My team specializes in rehabilitation and therapy. We work with patients from birth through 18 years of age with traumatic injuries, illnesses, or developments concerns, and our goal is to help them attain the highest ability of function possible. My team is made up of physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech and language pathologists, rehabilitation aides, access service representatives, social workers, psychologists and neuropsychologists.
We also work closely with our Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation physician group. Last year we saw over 155,886 visits. I feel like the work we do is essential to helping a child achieve his or her ultimate goals. We have very experienced and talented clinicians as well as state of the art equipment in our rehabilitation division. Our goal is to make a difference in the lives of the patient we serve. We see our patients as more than a diagnosis or an illness. We see them for the children they are, with their hopes and dreams, and the work we do helps today’s dreamers grow into tomorrow’s doers.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
I would not change a thing. I absolutely love my job! It really isn’t a job, it is a passion. I help to bring rehabilitation and therapy services to thousands of kids in the DFW area. I work with an amazing team and for a wonderful organization. Our program makes a difference, and I am so happy to be part of it.
Contact Info:
- Address: 1935 Medical District Drive Dallas, Texas 75235
- Website: https://www.childrens.com/
- Phone: 1-877-820-9061
- Email: rehabservices@childrens.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Childrens/
Image Credit:
Juan Pulido
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