The Rehabilitation Center - Huntingdon welcomes new occupational therapist; adds lymphedema services

Deb States, OTR/L, CLT MFRP, joined the staff of The Rehabilitation Center at Penn Highlands Healthcare at its Huntingdon location. With the addition of Ms. States to its staff, The Rehabilitation Center – Huntingdon now offers lymphedema therapy services.

Ms. States is a highly skilled occupational therapist with 22 years of experience. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Occupational Therapy at Mount Aloysius College and her Master’s degree in Workforce Education and Development from Penn State University. During her studies and training, she began concentrating on helping others through occupational therapy and quickly discovered that it was her passion.

“I am grateful to be part of the occupational therapy team at Penn Highlands Huntingdon,” said Ms. States. “I strive to serve our patients’ needs with individualized therapeutic interventions to improve their daily functions.”

Since she joined the staff, patients at The Rehabilitation Center at Penn Highlands Huntingdon have been benefitting from Ms. States’ skills and experience with lymphedema therapy. Lymphedema occurs when an accumulation of protein-rich fluid that is usually drained through the body's lymphatic system causes tissue to swell. It most commonly affects the arms or legs, but can also occur in the chest wall, abdomen, neck and genitals. Ms. States focuses on therapeutic interventions to reduce the swelling and prevent complications. She uses many different techniques and devices including exercises; manual lymph drainage; compression bandages; compression garments; and sequential pneumatic compression to help bring relief and healing.

"I am committed to making a positive impact through the use of the many different treatments to benefit our population’s needs,” added Ms. States.”

“Having the opportunity to offer lymphedema therapy again in the Huntingdon area is something we have been planning for a while,” said John Leytham, Director of Therapy at Penn Highlands Huntingdon. “Many physicians and individuals have reached out to us directly about this service over the last year or so, which is why it is so special that we are able to offer lymphedema therapy again to our community with the addition of Deb.”

The Rehabilitation Center - Huntingdon offers outpatient physical, occupational and speech therapies to individuals of all ages in Central Pennsylvania. Penn Highlands Healthcare prides itself on providing quality rehabilitation services that help people recover from illness, injury or surgery in an outpatient setting.
To learn more about Penn Highlands Healthcare’s Rehabilitation Services at Huntingdon, visit www.phhealthcare.org/rehab or call 814-643-0337.