Estes Park Health Rehabilitation Services is adding hours and expanding services to meet the needs of the Estes Valley Community.

The Rehab center at 420 Steamer Drive next to Urgent Care is now open Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

“By extending our hours Monday through Thursday, we hope to accommodate patients who need appointments later in the day, after work or after school,” said Kendra Vancil, EPH Rehabilitation Services & Urgent Care Manager.

Rehab Services has also hired a new physical therapist with specialized training in pediatrics. Kate Jamis, PT, moved to Estes Park from Kansas City and started working in mid-August.

Jamis decided she wanted to pursue physical therapy in middle school.

“I had a fascination with how the human body works,” Jamis explained. “I knew I wanted to work with kids. Physical therapy was the perfect opportunity to do both of those things together. I realized I could powerfully impact the lives of someone at such a young age, that was something that really appealed to me.”

She attended the University of Missouri where she took part in a five-year combined bachelor’s and master’s degree program. In Kansas City, she worked in several different pediatric facilities, mostly pre-schools, but also some outpatient settings like aquatics and a school district.

“A lot more pediatric patients need physical therapy than you might think,” she stressed. “There are many children who are born with challenges that might impact their physical development, like Down’s Syndrome, spina bifida, or prematurity. Children have accidents. They fall and hit their heads and that sometimes warrants therapy. Once the older children get into sports, they can get injured that way.”

Jamis said she likes working at the modern EPH Rehabilitation Services facility where she will also be helping adult patients with their physical therapy needs.

“I think we’re very fortunate,” she commented. “We have all the space we need and all the things we need. We have individual treatment rooms. There is always a room available for evaluations or talking about things that we don’t want to talk about in the gym with patients. I think we’re a little bit spoiled because it’s all shiny and new and lovely and wonderful.”

Having visited Estes Park for many years as a tourist, Jamis is happy to call the Estes Valley home.

“I saw the job opportunity and I had always wanted to live here,” she added. “The stars sort of aligned for us and we got to make the move. My drive to and from work is spectacular. Right now, the elk are everywhere, and the leaves are changing. I think we probably couldn’t have timed it better. We’re getting in all the wonderful summer and fall things before winter. My husband is most excited about winter because he is all about snow. We’re loving it.”

Jamis will have appointments open each Monday through Thursday at 4 p.m. and 5 p.m.

“The addition of pediatric physical therapy means that children in the Estes Valley will no longer have to drive to the front range to receive physical therapy,” Vancil noted. “We feel privileged to be able to provide these expanded services to our community.”

To contact EPH Rehabilitation Services, call 970-577-4368.