Building healthy communities at Kinetic Edge

Kinetic Edge Physical Therapy has continued its community-minded care model in Newton over the past 14 years they have been in the city.

After moving to its new location three years ago, Kinetic Edge could bring on more team members, who share the drive to make an impact on the community that surrounds them.

“It’s important because it’s our vision to build communities of healthy, happy, hope-filled people. It’s important to us as individuals because, this group, this team of people really loves what they do. They’ve really latched on to that higher purpose,” Kinetic Edge Clinic Manager Matt Scotton said.

While the focus at the clinic is to improve people’s lives through movement, the dedication to help others has really extended beyond the clinic walls. Scotton sees it as Kinetic Edge’s culture, not only at the Newton location but also at the eight other facilities under the brand.

One of the more prevalent ways Kinetic Edge gives back to the community is when every team member, company-wide, selects a nonprofit in the community they serve to present with a $1,000 donation around the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays each year.

“That’s been a unique program I think. Not many companies have their team members pick out local nonprofit groups as the recipients of $1,000 donations,” Scotton said.

This has a direct impact on the community by supporting these programs that create opportunities for people who live and work in Jasper County.

Other ways the team at Kinetic Edge tries to be involved is by sharing their talents and passions in different ways. Scotton said their team of physical therapists, occupational therapists and athletic trainers often participate in training or speaking engagements. During these events, whether they are for a large or small group, they are afforded the opportunity to share their knowledge with people beyond their clients.

“We enjoy doing that. We know that’s another great way to serve a community,” Scotton said.

Kinetic Edge also has employees who serve on various boards and lend their talents to coaching at the youth or high school level. This is a direct line to things happening in the community and allows the people to have a purpose outside of their work at the clinic.

Scotton himself has been involved with Newton High School as an athletic trainer at sporting events. That has given him quite a bit of recognition with students, parents and grandparents. They extend their trust to know he can help if a student is ever injured while participating in a sport.

“That’s how you build relationships and serve your community is to help people understand what you do or share your gifts and talents,” Scotton said.

But at the heart of all this community engagement is to provide quality one-on-one care to their clients. Scotton sees that as an important facet of their community-focused attitude. He said people don’t always get that one-on-one attention at clinics around the country.

“We feel like we can have the biggest impact on people’s lives and health and help them learn and understand the things that are going to help them get better the fastest with one-on-one care,” Scotton said.

Now Kinetic Edge has extended its reach further in Jasper County by operating a satellite clinic in Colfax, which opened in November. The city had been without that type of care for several months, so the company stepped up to fill the need.

To begin with, they had appointments available with physical therapist Emily Chia two days a week. In just a few short months, the clientele has expanded, and they are considering expanding their hours in Colfax.

“There’s a convenience factor, people won’t always drive out of town or a distance to get therapy, especially in the winter, if they’re older or if they have to get a ride to get to another town, it’s not always convenient so people just sit and suffer and think they can’t make that work out,” Scotton said.

With the difficulties of 2020 and many things being canceled, Scotton said it was difficult at times to stay involved with community activities. As they have explored different things they can do, a lot of what they discuss are things they couldn’t do last year.

“We want to get reengaged,” Scotton said. “People see and appreciate things that make a difference, especially for young people. I think that’s especially powerful.”

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