SVMC Outpatient Rehab Offers Certified Hand Therapy

BENNINGTON, VT— June 10, 2021—Those who have sustained a hand injury will no longer need to travel long distances for specialized hand therapy. Michaelia St. Jacques, OTR/L, CWCE, CHT, occupational therapist at Southwestern Vermont Medical Center’s (SVMC) Outpatient Rehabilitation department, has completed advanced training and certification for Hand Therapy. She is now a Certified Hand Therapist (CHT) with the Hand Therapy Certification Commission.  

“This is welcome news for our patients,” said Dr. David Veltre, a hand and upper extremity specialist at SVMC Orthopedics. “The added knowledge and understanding Michaelia has undertaken through the certification means that patients are getting the most advanced hand therapy techniques available in Bennington and northern Berkshire County.”

Until St. Jacques was certified last week, local patients had to drive more than 15 miles for this specialized treatment. The next nearest therapist was more than 20 miles away. 

St. Jacques received her undergraduate degree in biology at Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts. She completed her masters in occupational therapy from The Sage Colleges in New York. She is a member of the National Board of Certified Occupational Therapists, the American Occupational Therapy Association, and the American Society of Hand Therapists.

“My goal is to provide this important specialized care to our community, so they can spend their time doing the things they want and need to do,” St. Jacques said. “As a certified hand therapist I know that I am giving my patients the best shot at recovering from their upper extremity injury.”

Outpatient Rehabilitation Department is located in the Toolan Building on the Southwestern Vermont Medical Center campus, 120 Hospital Drive in Bennington. Those interested in more information may call 802-447-5140.

About:
Southwestern Vermont Health Care (SVHC) is a comprehensive, preeminent, health care system providing exceptional, convenient, and affordable care to the communities of Bennington and Windham Counties of Vermont, eastern Rensselaer and Washington Counties of New York, and northern Berkshire County in Massachusetts. SVHC includes Southwestern Vermont Medical Center (SVMC), Southwestern Vermont Regional Cancer Center, the Centers for Living and Rehabilitation, and the SVHC Foundation. SVMC includes 25 primary and specialty care practices.

Southwestern Vermont Health Care is among the most lauded small rural health systems in the nation. It ranked fourth nationwide for the value of care it provides by the Lown Institute Hospital Index. It is a four-time recipient of the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Magnet® recognition for nursing excellence. It has also received the highest marks possible from The Joint Commission, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and the Leapfrog Group.  

Southwestern Vermont Medical Center provides exceptional care without discriminating on the basis of an individual’s age, race, ethnicity, religion, culture, language, physical or mental disability, socioeconomic status, sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity or expression. Language assistance services, free of charge, are available at 1-800-367-9559.