The Physical Therapy Program has relationships with more than 120 clinical facilities that serve as sites for clinical education placements.  These sites span the scope of physical therapy practice settings including pediatrics through geriatrics; inpatient acute, subacute, skilled nursing, rehabilitation and extended care; outpatient orthopedics, private practices, women’s health, aquatics, neuro day care, schools and sports medicine; as well as home health care.

The locations of these sites range from the Greater Cleveland metropolitan area throughout Ohio and into several states across the US.   The numbers and percentages of affiliated clinical education sites in each of these areas is as follows (March 2007):

Location	# of Sites	% of Sites
Greater Cleveland (including Akron/Canton)	70	56%
Throughout Ohio (including Warren/Youngstown, Toledo, Columbus, Dayton & Cincinnati areas)	35	28%
Across US (including AZ, CA, FL, ILL, IN, MI, NC, NY, PA, TX)	20	16%

The Free Clinic of Greater Cleveland

In spring 2003, the CSU PT Program established a relationship with the Free Clinic of Greater Cleveland’s pro bono physical therapy practice.  Student physical therapists participate in physical therapy service delivery at the Free Clinic throughout their first year of professional education.   They are supervised by community based physical therapists, who donate their time to provide PT services at the clinic in addition to maintaining full time employment at various other facilities throughout the Cleveland area.  The collaboration between the Free Clinic practice and the CSU PT Program is managed by Karen O’Loughlin, PT, MA, ACCE for CSU and Scott Euype, PT, MS for the community based PTs. 

Since its founding in 1970, The Free Clinic has grown from a small clinic based in a rented house to one occupying a new 34,000 square foot building with 56 employees and over 350 active volunteers.  Free Clinic services are categorized into 5 areas:  Medical, HIV/Aids, Mental Health, Substance Abuse and Case Management services.   The clinic serves patients who do not have health insurance or are underinsured and all services are provided free of charge.  For more information about the Free Clinic, visit the web site at www.thefreeclinic.org.

Consultation Collaborations

Cleveland State University Physical Therapy faculty consult and collaborate in research with many area facilities and organizations including the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, United Cerebral Palsy, Cleveland Clinic Children’s Hospital for Rehabilitation, Rehab Network, the Free Clinic of Greater Cleveland, Northeast Ohio Arthritis Foundation, NASA Lewis Glenn Research Center, Neurology Specialty Counsel of the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties, and American Physical Therapy Cultural Competence Committee.  Faculty members also serve on editorial and review boards for Physiotherapy Canada, Archives of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation, and the Medical Science Monitor.