A family-owned and operated physical therapy network with locations in Columbia Falls and Lolo recently expanded to Kalispell, where the new clinic’s leadership said there is a growing need for services.

Berube Physical Therapy announced the grand opening of its new location earlier this month. The facility is situated at 120 W. Idaho St., Suite A, at the CHS Mountain West building. The 2,000 square-foot outpatient clinic offers a range of pain management and prevention services including physical therapy, functional integrative therapy, work injury rehabilitation and sports medicine for a combined approach to pain resolution and injury recovery.

According to Clinic Director Kalani McLaughlin, who holds a Bachelor of Arts in Health and Human Performance from University of Montana Western, each plan will be tailored to the patient’s individual goals and needs. He emphasized it is important to avoid a one-size-fits-all approach in physical therapy.

“Whatever your goal is, that’s going to be our goal, too,” said McLaughlin, who has a lengthy background in sports both as a coach and longtime football player. “Whether you want to go backcountry hiking again after a major back or leg injury, or maybe you want to ski just once by the end of the year, we can help you reach that goal. We are all about meeting them exactly where they are.”

McLaughlin, who earned his Physical Therapy Assistant accreditation from Flathead Valley Community College, said when Berube officials were looking to expand, they felt Kalispell was an obvious choice.

The Flathead Valley is brimming with athletes, outdoor enthusiasts and others who tend to push their physical limits, in addition to a large population of older adults. Those client pools aside, McLaughlin also said the Kalispell area has seen immense growth since the COVID-19 pandemic began last March, which means the demand for physical therapy services is likely to increase as well.

“We already knew that we wanted to grow and expand patient care even before the pandemic hit. Kalispell is a bigger region and with all the people moving here there will be more need,” said McLaughlin, who added that the pandemic has also given rise to a unique population of patients who have largely been inactive since quarantine and isolation measures first began.

OPENING A new clinic amid an ongoing pandemic came with its own challenges. Dulcie Berube, founder of Berube Physical Therapy, said it has been “a tiring year of planning and hard work” for her and the Berube team, but that their efforts should pay off.

“We’ve enjoyed being a part of the Kalispell community and this is a major reinvestment and further commitment to our desire to be in Kalispell,” said Dulcie, a Columbia Falls native who earned a Master of Science degree in physical therapy from the University of Montana.

The goal is to create an inviting and healing atmosphere for patients who may be intimidated at the thought of pursuing physical therapy.

“Sometimes the hardest part of physical therapy is convincing people just to walk through the door,” McLaughlin said. “But once they are here, they realize it isn’t all that bad and that the things we are doing here are working.”

McLaughlin said he and Berube’s other Kalispell-based physical therapist, Anne Fox, are currently seeing about 30 patients each per week, but that capacity is closer to 40 patients.

Berube’s Kalispell clinic accepts most insurance plans. And according to a press release, the company’s locations are “actively taking the necessary steps to ensure patient care is completed with strict infection control measures,” and will “act with an abundance of caution in alignment with recommendations from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and local health officials.”

To learn more about Berube Physical Therapy, go to www.berubept.com

Reporter Kianna Gardner may be reached at 758-4407 or kgardner@dailyinterlake.com.