The Langston University physical therapy department is making big moves by introducing a new physical therapy clinic building for the city of Langston. The building is for everyone to use, including students, staff, and people both in and outside the city of Langston. The 16,000 square foot clinic is being built across the street from the Langton University Police department and Centennial Hall and is estimated to be done this November.
Dr.Elicia Pollard
On the Langston campus, the faculty and staff in the physical therapy department are excited. Dr. Elicia Pollard, Dean of Physical Therapy, said “This building has been a dream. I’ve been working on it for five years so it was a long process and it wasn’t easy.” Pollard was a student at Langston University when the school of physical therapy was a bachelor’s program. Dr. Pollard said during that time Langston didn’t have a Physical Therapy building. Years later when Dr. Pollard started working at Langston, students started to ask if they could get treatment from the physical therapy department.
“We had to explain to them that we only have an educational building, not a clinic. So, we don’t offer those types of services. That’s when we started to see a need to make this building.” In order for the building to happen, Dr. Pollard had to get approval from the University and get a grant. It was a long process but now everyone can be looking at receiving services from the physical therapy program very soon.
Dr. Anthony Sylvester
Dr. Anthony Sylvester teaches classes in the physical therapy department at Langston and was a student at Langston before Dr. Pollard was. He said that he was honored to be a part of the process and that having this new clinic can fill a void at Langston. “We feel that we can be an asset because in health care there’s a big deficit. It is so expensive to the point where some people can’t get care, so this clinic can help that.”
Not only is helping people in the city of Langston a goal with the new clinic, but another goal is to do more and better research within the department. Dr. Sylvester said, “There are venders who make medical equipment that want students and professionals to use it to see how well their equipment works. This gives us and the students an opportunity to use new things and test them.”
Students who are in other departments on campus that want to test things and do their own research are welcome to come to the clinic as well. With the building being a 16,000 square foot facility, there are a lot of possibilities when it comes to research.
Both Dr. Pollard and Sylvester say that Langston is a hidden gem in Oklahoma. It’s just a lot of people don’t know about it nor know about the physical therapy program. Sylvester said, “I wasn’t from Oklahoma so I never heard of Langston. I met alumni from Langston and I came here and loved it. Even back then it was family, being able to give a young person a chance like Langston gave me is powerful.”
Jackie Patton
Jackie Patton is a second year physical therapy student who also works in the sports and medicine department. She says that she’s extremely excited about the clinic being built. “There are so many students on campus that have asked me about the building and I’m glad people know about it. It warms my heart.”
Patton let’s it be known that her and her classmates are excited and can’t wait to get there hands on new equipment. When asked how many students are in the program Dr. Pollard responded saying “There are 14 students that get in every year and 42 students is the max.” However, Patton loves the small family aspect of Langston and believes that is the best part about the University.
Patton encourages any young adults interested in getting into physical therapy to give it a chance. There is a pre-physical therapy program that students can join if they are interested and want to get there feet wet in the program. However, the faculty and students are still trying to find ways to let people know they are here. “Research and ask people that you know are in the field,” Patton said. “If you want to take a tour in the physical therapy building, do so. We will show you different aspects and areas of clinic.”
Anthony Henry
Polling Director and Staff Writer
Anthony Henry is a sophomore broadcast journalism major from Oklahoma City and he currently attends Langston University. He likes to do profile stories and cover special events in his community and on campus. He believes his work is important because of the First Amendment. Journalism is the only profession mentioned in the First Amendment and Anthony believes in the rights of the people and is willing to tell their stories. Anthony enjoys music so much; he listens to R&B, Jazz, and Hip-Hop. He also enjoys spending time with friends. Anthony can be reached at anthony.c.henry@langston.edu as well as @the.realtony3 on Instagram.
