Today we’d like to introduce you to Lakecia Leavy.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I am born and raised on the south side of Chicago. I grew up in a single parent household with my mother and older sister. My mother used sports and community programs to keep us focused and to provide a sense of discipline and purpose. By the time I was seven years old, I was a member of the Jesse White Tumbling Team, Chi-Town Tumbling Team and Chi-Town Cheerleading Team. I attended three different Chicago Public elementary schools and lived in three different Chicago neighborhoods by the age of eleven. I attended Morgan Park High School on the south side of Chicago. While at Morgan Park High School, I was a part of three straight Girls IHSA Track and Field championships, four straight Track and Field city championships and I was an All-American, All-State and All-City long jumper. I was also All-Sectional in Girls Basketball.
I declined every Track and Field and basketball scholarship offered and decided to challenge myself more as a student. I was accepted into the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign as a transition student. My Sophomore year of college, I was accepted into the College of Applied Health Sciences and I graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology. While at the University of Illinois, I pledged a community service based sorority which is Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Alpha Nu Chapter. Among other things, my sorority sisters encouraged me to attend graduate school. The concept of graduate school was foreign to me because no one in my immediate family pursued an education after undergrad.
The first year I applied to physical therapy school, I did not get accepted. Instead, I accepted a job as a physical therapist technician. The second year I applied to physical therapy school, I was accepted to Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science in North Chicago, IL. I graduated with a Doctorate of Physical Therapy in 2011.
My first job as a physical therapist was at an outpatient clinic on the south side of Chicago. The transition was difficult but I had a great manager and physical therapist technician who taught me how to keep up with the fast pace of working as a physical therapist in the city of Chicago. After three years of working at my first job, my manager moved back to her home town area and I decided to make a transition as well.
I interviewed with a therapy staffing agency which led to me getting an offer from my neighborhood hospital. I submitted a two-week resignation notice upon receiving the offer. The weekend before starting the hospital job, I was alerted that communications between the hospital and staffing agency fell through and my offer was no longer on the table. At that time, I was a new mom and a new homeowner so I had to come up with a fast solution. I decided to do home health physical therapy temporarily.
I fell in love with home health physical therapy which led to me starting Healing Walls Rehabilitation LLC, Home Health Therapy Staffing Agency. Healing Walls Rehabilitation LLC also partners with After School Matters in order to introduce the field of physical therapy to Chicago Public School Teens.
The name Healing Walls Rehabilitation LLC is in honor of my sorority sister, Dr. Ashley S.C. Walls. She passed away while conducting research in Brazil.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has not been a smooth road. A lot of my current knowledge comes from making mistakes as a new business owner. The main struggle is the lack of capital. The lack of capital makes it difficult to expand and therefore difficult to find help. The lack of help leads to one person providing the services as the clinician, human resource and marketing representative and community relations representative.
Within the last few months, I’ve had to use fewer contract therapist due to the decline in reimbursements for patient care in Illinois. As a result, we are able to help fewer patients which goes against my purpose of starting the therapy staffing agency.
I did not go into business expecting a smooth road. As a result, I am in the process of adding an addendum to my business plan in order to adapt and adjust to the current state of Illinois.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Healing Walls Rehabilitation – what should we know?
Healing Walls Rehabilitation LLC is a Home Health Therapy Staffing agency. We provide Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy and Speech Therapy services to home health agencies and referral sources who are under staffed.
We are known for our family style approach to patient care. We pride ourselves on evaluating patients within 24-48 hours of receiving the referrals, our electronic operating system that allows us to document and communicate in a timely manner and direct communication with the owner for accountability purposes.
I am most proud of our community ties and affiliations with the city of Chicago. Patients are more compliant when they feel like the clinicians are willing to go beyond the scope of practice for the sake of patient care.
Healing Walls Rehabilitation provides pro-bono injury screenings and manual stretching at community sporting, fitness and healthcare events. We also partner with After School Matters to introduce the field of Physical Therapy to Chicago Public School Teens.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
The ability to adjust and adapt to change. The ambition and focus to move forward during rough times. The willingness to be an open-minded owner who must constantly learn. I also know that it takes a great team to be successful and therefore that is my approach when interacting with the Healing Walls Rehab team.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.healingwallsrehab.com
- Phone: (217) 766-3569
- Email: healingwallsrehab@gmail.com
- Facebook: @healingwallsrehab
Image Credit:
Ollie Photography, Inc.
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