PRESS RELEASE: Corporate Health Management Launch

Roswell, GA

A Step Ahead Physical Therapy (ASAPT) is pleased to announce that they hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony at their clinic location on Thursday, September 20. The ceremony marked the official launch of their Corporate Health Management Division, which provided consulting and healthcare services for companies and municipalities in the Atlanta area.

The Roswell Mayor, City Council members, state congressmen, Roswell Inc. staff, past clients, and various business leaders joined the ASAPT staff to celebrate the kick off of their Corporate Health Management Division.

Mayor Lori Henry and Roswell Inc. Executive Director, Steve Stroud, welcomed the attendees and expressed their appreciation of ASAPT in their commitment to and investment in the city of Roswell.

Brad Freemyer, a physical therapist and ASAPT owner, thanked all in attendance for helping make Roswell such a great place to work. He and his family have been involved in the Roswell community for over 20 years, and the Clinic Division of ASAPT has provided rehabilitation and wellness services in Roswell for the last 11 years. Freemyer says a vision for health promotion and injury prevention has been a fundamental portion of ASAPT from the beginning. The first conversation started 7 years ago when Freemyer and then Council Member Jerry Orlans met with the City Human Resources Department. Brad explained, “It was not until we were greatly blessed by dear friends, Mr. and Mrs. Wilton Looney, who invested in this vision by making a very generous grant to A Step Ahead for the purpose of covering the expense required for the development and leg work to get this Corporate Health Management Division off the ground, that we were able to make it a reality. I am very pleased to say that I was able to inform him just prior to the end of his earthly life of the awarding of our City of Roswell contract. We hope to honor them in bringing greater health to the Roswell and Greater Atlanta area.”

At the ribbon cutting, Kim Richards, a physical therapist and Director of Corporate Health Management for ASAPT, was introduced and informed the attendees of the successful launch of an injury prevention program with the City of Roswell on Aug 1, 2018—seven years after that initial discussion. She described the two major areas of service that are being offered out of the new CHM division: injury prevention and chronic disease prevention and management.

The injury prevention component uses the Functional Movement Screen to identify an individual’s risk of sustaining an injury based on the quality of his or her movement. After screening, the physical therapists design corrective exercise programs to improve movement, and they instruct these exercises in small group format. ASAPT works with municipal fire, police, recreation and parks, transportation, waste management, and public works departments to help reduce workers’ compensation costs and time missed from work due to injuries. This is service is designed to benefit companies that suffer from a history of workers’ compensation related expenses.

The chronic disease prevention and management component offers services for companies and municipalities to identify those who are healthy and take steps to keep them there. Therapists also identify those who are showing risk factors or signs and symptoms of disease and use lifestyle interventions to improve their health, reducing workers’ compensation and healthcare costs as well as improving employee engagement.

Similar corporate health management programs are having significant success in companies across the US. The goal of these programs is to reduce the frequency and severity of injuries, prevent or reduce the severity of disease, and provide companies significantly higher profits on their financial bottom lines. One lesser known benefit of such a program is improving employee engagement and the ability to fully accomplish goals. Healthy individuals can be more productive and innovative, thus helping companies meet financial and mission goals.

A Step Ahead Physical Therapy is Atlanta's leading health promotion, injury prevention, and rehabilitation company. ASAPT is one company with two divisions: The Clinic Division in Roswell is dedicated to care of individuals, and the Corporate Health Management Division is dedicated to businesses, municipalities, and other small to large groups including sports clubs. Both divisions focus on moving clients down the spectrum of health towards being well by moving well and moving often.