Today we’d like to introduce you to Theresa Bell-Nagle.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Theresa. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I graduated from Utica College of Syracuse University in 1984 with a BS in Occupational Therapy. I have been an Occupational Therapist and Certified Hand Therapist for 33 years. I have worked in many different facilities over the years and have always wanted to open my own therapy clinic. 2 Thumbs Up Hand Therapy was born in 2007 in Plymouth, MA. In 2012, we opened a second clinic in Norwell, MA. Unfortunately, in 2015 our Plymouth clinic was in a fire and we lost everything. At this time, we are only opened in Norwell with the hope to rebuild in Plymouth in the near future. We just celebrated our 10th anniversary for the business this July! Not many people can say that they still LOVE what they do for a job after 33 years!
I have been disabled and in a wheelchair since the age of 15 due to a spinal cord injury. I attended college and have performed my entire career from a wheelchair. I think most people are amazed at my accomplishments, I have never let my disability stop me from achieving my dreams.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
It has not been a smooth road. I have had to learn how to run the business on my own. I knew the therapy portion of my job but have not taken any business courses in college. I did take a small business management course through the organization “Score” on Cape Cod a few years prior to opening my clinic. Some of the struggles included learning about all the business and employer taxes, insurance, money management, time management, and marketing. You have to be able to promote yourself and sell your services and I still find that a challenge 10 years later. In 2012, I opened a 2nd clinic and realized quickly that it was very difficult operating another location but I was able to hire more staff to help run the 2 clinics.
In 2015, our clinic in Plymouth was in a fire and we LOST everything. That was a devastating lost both physically and emotionally. We have not been able to re-open in Plymouth yet due to finances and staffing. We are hoping to open again someday in Plymouth. Another struggle is staffing, It is very difficult to hire and keeping staff if the business is unable to offer health insurance.
Since I am a business with less than 11 FTE, I am not required by law to offer insurance.
However, I’d like to be able to offer that benefit but am unable to afford to do so, this prevents me from hiring certain individuals that need insurance and they chose to work at a larger facility that can offer better benefits.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with 2 Thumbs Up Hand Therapy – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
We are an outpatient clinic for Occupational Therapy that specializes in upper extremity rehabilitation. The name hand therapy is misleading, since we treat the entire arm and hand.
I am a Certified Hand Therapist which means I have expert experience in the upper extremity and have to passed a vigorous exam beyond the initial Occupational Therapy license. The majority of our patients have had surgery to the upper arm, elbow, wrist or hand. Some of the diagnoses we see include fractures, burns, tendon and nerve lacerations, amputations, ligament injuries, tendonitis, nerve entrapments including carpal tunnel and cubital tunnel, arthritis, and congenital deformities to name a few.
Some of our patients have had devastating injuries from saws or snow blowers, causing severe damage to their hands and requiring several surgeries and therapy. We provide excellent care to all of our patients and have an excellent reputation for the entire South Shore area with many Hand Surgeons and Hand Therapists in Boston referring to our clinic as well.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
We are hoping to reopen the clinic in Plymouth so we can help more patients throughout the south shore of MA. We also plan to hire more therapists to allow us to expand hours and possibly additional services. We would also like to become a training/ education resource center for therapists wishing to expand their knowledge in the specialty field of Hand Therapy.
Contact Info:
- Address: Theresa Bell-Nagle, OTR/L, CHT
2 Thumbs Up Hand Therapy, LLC
99 Longwater Circle suite 102
Norwell, MA 02061 - Website: www.2thumbsuphandtherapy.com
- Phone: 781 421-3771
- Email: thumbs2007@comcast.net
- Instagram: 2thumbsuphandtherapy
- Facebook: @2thumbsuphandtherapy
- Twitter: 2Thumbsuphandther @TheresaNagle
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