East Michigan News

Shepherd Chamber March Spotlight:  Matthew Blick, Wright Avenue Rehab.  

Matthew Blick, DPT opened Wright Avenue Rehab on December 17, 2020. An Alma native and Army brat, his connection to Shepherd originally came through his wife Taylor, who graduated from SHS in 2012 and whose parents founded Mitchell’s Deli and the Silver Spoon Cafe. He is a physical therapist with 6 years of experience in rural outpatient practice. He graduated from Alma College in 2014 with a BS in Integrative Physiology and Health Science, and graduated from Central Michigan University in 2017 as a Doctor of Physical Therapy. Prior to opening a clinic in Shepherd, he worked as a staff physical therapist at Evergreen Physical Therapy in its Harrison, Gladwin, Clare, and Midland locations.

While Matt enjoyed working “up north,” he heard that there was a growing need for a physical therapist in Shepherd. This need was identified by another local clinician, Jon Daniels PA-C of Sweetwater Medical Center, who had purchased the old Marrita’s restaurant with the intention of bettering the community with an outpatient therapy clinic. He simply needed a PT to take up shop. It was thought that people in Shepherd shouldn’t have to travel to Mount Pleasant or Alma to undergo physical therapy, and that they would be best served not by a corporate-owned practice but by a local therapist with ties to the area. The conversation began in 2019 and funding was secured in February of 2020.

Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic and state lockdowns delayed all construction for months. Dr. Daniels and JBS Contracting stood at the ready for the go-ahead while he and Matt continued conversations with the village about what this clinic would look like integrating into the community. They were finally able to begin renovations in the fall and Wright Avenue Rehab opened on December 17, 2020.

Matt has seen patients as young as 3 months to as old as 90 and beyond. He sees a wide variety of patients whose diagnoses range from ankle sprains to back pain to rotator cuff tears to vertigo and beyond. He recognizes that physical therapy is a lot of work to ask of patients during a time that can be physically and emotionally taxing. As such, he tries to make therapy as light-hearted and fun as possible. He has a passion for working in geriatrics and sports medicine but enjoys working with all kinds of patients.

Since opening, Wright Avenue Rehab has been able to sponsor the Community Arts Support Team and other local programs. When not at the clinic, the Blicks can be found helping the Rotary Club of Shepherd with service projects or exploring the Lake Michigan coast with their dog Rosie and their son Finn. While Matt was initially reluctant to take on opening this business independently, he is so thankful to the community of Shepherd for welcoming him with open arms and supporting a locally owned PT practice. He would also like to specifically thank Jon Daniels of Sweetwater Medical Center for the guidance in starting an independent clinic; Isabella Bank for taking a chance on a young clinician; his former bosses Mitch McMillan and Charles Zelkowski for mentorship as a businessperson and clinician; Dean and Jamie Mitchell for giving overwhelming support both as family and as local business owners getting the word out; and his wife Taylor Blick for following him into the unknown as he pursued a dream.

Thank you for choosing Shepherd!

Original source can be found here.