By CHRIS HARRIS, CJ Staff Writer
Commonwealth Journal
Somerset —
Despite oppressive heat, the big names still came out Thursday for the groundbreaking of the new Total Rehab facility in MedPark West. The Total Rehab facility, founded in 2001 by physical therapists Jeff Parmelee and Terry Randall, provides rehabilitation services to patients who have had orthopedic injuries, surgeries or fractures, or athletic and work-related injuries. For years, the organization has rented a space on Bogle Street behind Lake Cumberland Regional Hospital, but construction officially began on a new facility owned by Total Rehab with a groundbreaking ceremony in the new MedPark West area off of Hail Knob Road, a collection of medical buildings and state-of-the-art health care technology. The new building was made possible through an SBA 504 loan obtained this year through SKED (Southeast Kentucky Economic Development Corporation). In its first year as a U.S. Small Business Administration Certified Development Company, SKED staff has worked with eight business owners from around the Commonwealth to leverage a private investment of $21 million and create 112 new jobs in the region, according to SKED executive director Greg Jones. “SKED’s certification as an SBA CDC has enabled us to assist business professional like Terry and Jeff to acquire the financing they need at the time when they need it most,” said Jones. “Together, they’ve brought a valuable medical service to the region. We are please to help them expand her and continue that service.” Randall said that the load allowed Total Rehab to move the project “off the drawing board and into reality,” and thanked SKED for its invaluable help. He expects the project to take about 10 months to build, and thinks it could create eight to 10 new jobs for the company. “We are here at this groundbreaking because of our staff, which is very talented and dedicated and passionate,” said Randall. “That has allowed us to grow and come to this point. We think that in the future, we’ll have a better facility, but it will still depend on our staff and how good they are as to our quality of care.” Several individuals spoke at the groundbreaking, including Randall, Parmelee, Jones, and U.S. Congressman Harold “Hal” Rogers, who was pleased to see further economic and health care-related growth here in his Fifth Congressional District. “It’s another great development in the medical community here, which is growing to be a major asset for the whole region,” said Rogers. “I’m pleased to be here to be a part of the progress taking place.”