Get to Know our Staff: Karla Palacios Reagor, Therapeutic Recreation

Get to Know our Staff: Karla Palacios Reagor, Therapeutic Recreation

by | Jul 25, 2024 | Spotlight

What is your job title/your role at Scottish Rite for Children? 
I am a certified therapeutic recreation specialist (CTRS). I assist inpatient and outpatient children with their recreation, leisure, goals and interests. I provide them with resourceful recreation activities in their home, school and community that can be adapted for their needs and goals. Resources include sports, swimming, camps, dance and more. I may also coach a child on any specific sport. We can do one-on-one sessions, so I can teach them how to participate in sports and eventually send them on their own to participate in their chosen sport independently.

I am also a camp director for Camp Joint Adventure, the recreation therapeutic specialist for Camp TLC, a support staff member for Spina Bifida Hispanic Family Camp and a coordinator for Tennis All Stars.

What do you do on a daily basis or what sort of duties do you have at work? 
I facilitate and coordinate recreation therapy groups for inpatient patients who benefit from therapeutic recreation. We use the solarium, tennis courts, James F. Chambers, Jr. Youth Fitness Park and Allan Shivers Park and Lee Drain Children’s Courtyard. Activities consist of sports, physical activity, cognitive skill building, social interaction and leisure involvement! I host one-on-one sessions for children who may not leave their room due to being bedbound or needing weight management. 

For the spina bifida clinic, I visit the children for the following reasons: 

  • Periodicity in children ranging from 3-year-olds to 6-year-olds
  • An introduction to therapeutic recreation 
  • Weight management
  • Increase of physical activity
  • Increase knowledge of adaptive leisure involvement
  • Adaptive bike riding
  • Camp resources 

I work at the spina bifida clinic twice a week, and I love it!

What was your first job? What path did you take to get here or what led you to Scottish Rite? 
My first job was at a behavioral hospital. I volunteered at River Crest Hospital in San Angelo, TX, while I had a 1-year-old toddler and attended graduate school for two months. This was the only way to get experience in my field of work, therapeutic recreation, in that city. A position opened, and I became a paid employee at this hospital. Shortly after, my husband got a job offer in Arlington, TX, and we had to move. I was able to transfer from River Crest Hospital to Millwood Hospital; these are sister hospitals for United Health Care. During my time in Arlington, I saw a commercial on television about Scottish Rite, and it immediately caught my attention because my career dream has always been to work with children with disabilities. I grew up with a cousin with cerebral palsy, who was very dear to me and passed away at 16-years-old. 

Right away, I found the Scottish Rite number, called, asked to be transferred to the Therapeutic Recreation department and got the chance to speak with the director of therapeutic recreation Dana Dempsey! I asked if we could meet to speak about Scottish Rite and therapeutic recreation for learning purposes. Dana gave me a tour, and it is safe to say that I was in love! I stayed in touch with Dana and hoped that one day our paths would cross again after I received my certification and built more experience in our field. 

I continued my graduate work remotely when we moved to Arlington. A year later, I finished graduate school with a Masters in Coaching, Sports, Recreation and Fitness Administration, walked the stage while being pregnant with my second child and passed my exam to become a CTRS. After I became a CTRS, I began to apply for better paying jobs to help support my little family, as my husband was also establishing himself as a basketball coach and teacher. I worked as a therapeutic recreation director at another sister hospital at Mesilla Valley Hospital for two years. Then, a full-time position opened at Scottish Rite. I applied, went on more interviews and got blessed with the opportunity to be a full time CTRS at my dream job: the Therapeutic Recreation department at Scottish Rite for Children in Dallas.

What do you enjoy most about Scottish Rite? 
I enjoy being the one to say “yes, you can participate in sport and recreation” to a child who thought that their diagnosis was going to keep them from enjoying their childhood through sports. I also love the hope I can offer to the parents who thought their child may never be able to ride a bike or play in a team sport.

Tell us something about your job that others might not already know? 
Therapeutic recreation offers physical well-being, knowledge of adaptive sports, inclusion and services as a coping skill for psychological well-being. Recreation and leisure involvement can be used as a tool to help balance negative moods, decrease symptoms of depression, anxiety or any other mental illness.

Where is the most interesting place you’ve been? 
I went to a military school at New Mexico Military Institute. I was on the Ranger School as an Army Ranger! It was just for fun and not a training for the real Army. One week, we went to do a land navigation project. We stayed out in the middle of a desert in New Mexico, and it was dark and cold. However, the stars were amazing, like the Milky Way. I love the outdoors the desert; this location has been the most beautiful and interesting place I have ever been.

What is your favorite game or sport to watch and play? 
I love playing soccer and love watching Family Feud!

If you could go back in time, what year would you travel to? 
The year 2000. I was 8-year-olds, with no real responsibilities other than family time, playing soccer, going to school and enjoying my mother’s homemade Mexican food at our trailer park in New Mexico!

What’s one fun fact about yourself? 
I can spin a basketball on my finger for two to five minutes straight and can hip thrust up to 400 lbs. 

Get to Know our Staff: Valory Hall, General Counsel

Get to Know our Staff: Valory Hall, General Counsel

by | Jul 15, 2024 | Centennial

What is your job title/your role at Scottish Rite for Children? 
I am a contract administrator.

What do you do on a daily basis or what sort of duties do you have at work? 
I work on our contracts, which can involve anything from handling a contract for a hosted special event to surgical equipment for our operating rooms. I also educate new staff on the contracting process by training them on our contract management system called Meditract. I love that I get to have contact with such a broad range of Scottish Rite staff daily.

What was your first job? What path did you take to get here or what led you to Scottish Rite? 
My first job was at a t-shirt shop in high school, which I loved! We made all of the team jerseys for the city and local YMCA. It was always busy, required organization and attention to detail, which has served me well in paralegal work over the years and into the work I do at Scottish Rite today.

What do you enjoy most about Scottish Rite? 
The thing I love most about working at Scottish Rite is being able to see the precious patients and their families as I walk around the hospital. It makes me happy to know that some of the projects I work on could potentially have a positive impact on patients. I love Scottish Rite’s mission and am happy to play a small part in it!

Tell us something about your job that others might not already know? 
The General Counsel team has a lot more than just contracts on our plate. We also work on Scottish Rite’s:

  • Policies
  • Compliance
  • Employee benefits
  • Insurance
  • Risk management 
  • Oil and gas
  • Donated properties and estates 

Where is the most interesting place you’ve been? 
I lived in Los Angeles for a few years, and there is never a dull moment in that city. I don’t think there is anywhere else in the U.S. where you can go from ocean, to desert, to mountains and to the urban sprawl all within a few hours. There are so many breathtaking views in the Los Angeles area. My all-time favorites views are of the Pacific Ocean, as you drive out of the Malibu Canyon and the twinkly night time view of downtown Los Angeles from the Griffith Observatory.

What is your favorite game or sport to watch and play? 
I’m a big baseball fan. I love the Texas Rangers, but the Los Angeles Dodgers are a close second in my heart. I also enjoy playing all types of cards and board games. One of my favorite things is hosting a game night with family and friends.

If you could go back in time, what year would you travel to? 
I would go back to the Roaring 20s. The clothes, cars, literature and music of that era are fascinating to me.

What’s one fun fact about yourself? 
I have a competitive streak and love to play in local dart leagues.

Mastering Daily Tasks To Help Others Feel Their Best

Mastering Daily Tasks To Help Others Feel Their Best

by | Jul 12, 2024 | Neurology

Previously published in Rite Up, 2024 – Issue 2.

Fifteen-year-old Zion, of Glenn Heights, is preparing to become an esthetician when she graduates from high school. Her mother, Tiffany, bought her a mannequin that she uses to practice giving facials and applying makeup. “I want to make people feel good about themselves,” Zion says. “Being an esthetician will help people relax.” Recently, Zion brought her mannequin to Scottish Rite where she works with occupational therapist Lucy Ericson on mastering a host of daily activities.

Zion has cerebral palsy (CP) and has received care at Scottish Rite for Children since she was 10, after her family moved to Texas from Arizona. CP is the most common childhood disorder that affects muscles and movement. Zion’s symptoms impact her mobility, muscle coordination, flexibility and posture.

“It’s hard to walk around the mall, our neighborhood or around school because classes aren’t close together,” Zion says. She uses a wheelchair for long distances. “Sometimes, I force myself to walk, but I get very tired.” She also finds it challenging to do things with her right hand, like twisting open a jar, pouring juice or writing essays. “It’s hard keeping my hand straight,” she says, “but that’s why we go to Lucy.”

In occupational therapy, Zion works through a list of tasks that she conquers one by one. Lucy has helped her find creative ways to brush her teeth, wash her skin, cook food, open a pill bottle, roll her wheelchair by herself, get binders in and out of her backpack, put on earrings and apply makeup, like eye shadow and lip gloss. “It makes me feel really good,” Zion says. “I never thought I was going to be able to do all that stuff by myself.”

As tasks get easier for Zion to achieve, she prepares for her future as an esthetician. “Zion wants to be ready when she graduates so there aren’t any barriers,” Tiffany says. In a session with Lucy, Zion massages the mannequin’s face with shaving cream. “We’re not using the high-end stuff on a mannequin,” Tiffany says, laughing, but then, her tone turns bittersweet as she considers the years they have spent at Scottish Rite. “They make us feel like we are part of one big family,” she says. Zion underscores how much it means to her. “I really love, gosh, all the people,” she says. “I couldn’t imagine myself being able to do what I can do without Scottish Rite’s help.”

Read the full issue.

Get to Know our Staff: Philip Pitt, Prosthetics & Orthotics

Get to Know our Staff: Philip Pitt, Prosthetics & Orthotics

by | Jul 9, 2024 | Prosthetics & Orthotics

What is your job title/your role at Scottish Rite for Children? My job at Scottish Rite for Children is as an orthotics and prosthetics technician.

What do you do on a daily basis or what sort of duties do you have at work? On a daily basis, I fabricate all types of prosthetic and orthotic devices. I also see patients for repairs of their devices as needed and manage an inventory of supplies used for fabrication.

What was your first job? What path did you take to get here or what led you to Scottish Rite? My first job was a housekeeper at a summer camp in the mountains. After that, I worked at a hospital in Southern California in the orthotic and prosthetics department for seven years before ultimately relocating to Dallas to work at Scottish Rite.

What do you enjoy most about Scottish Rite? The thing I enjoy the most about Scottish Rite is being able to help provide great care and devices for the children that come through the organization. I also think participating in the 2023 Amputee Ski trip to see the work we do in action was an awesome experience.

Tell us something about your job that others might not already know? We have a building next to the parking garage where all our prostheses are fabricated. 

Where is the most interesting place you’ve been? The most interesting place I have visited is a tie between London, England, during a trip to Europe and Vancouver, British Columbia.

What is your favorite game or sport to watch and play? My favorite sport to watch is baseball.

If you could go back in time, what year would you travel to? If time travel was a thing, I would go back to any time in the 90s.

What’s one fun fact about yourself? A fun fact about me is that I am a certified scuba diver.

Movement Science + Olympic Sprinter = FAST

Movement Science + Olympic Sprinter = FAST

by | Jul 3, 2024 | Sports Medicine

Previously published in Rite Up, 2024 – Issue 2.

New and novel research that focuses on adolescent sprinters is coming off the blocks at Scottish Rite for Children Orthopedic and Sports Medicine Center in Frisco. FAST, short for Functional Analysis and Speed Training, is a series of data collection clinics led by Sophia Ulman, Ph.D., director of the Movement Science Laboratory. She and her team are partnering with Mechelle Lewis Freeman, USA Track and Field Olympian, Olympic coach and CEO/ Founder of TrackGirlz, a Frisco nonprofit that gives girls access to mentorship and sport through track and field empowerment programs. 

The goal of FAST is to reduce the risk of injury in the adolescent sprinting population. To achieve this, Ulman’s team collects data that measures a sprinter’s mobility, stability, strength and power. “A lot of sprinting data in the research community is in collegiate or Olympic athletes,” Ulman says. “No one has really tapped into sprinting at the adolescent level.” Analyzing this data helps determine the mechanical weaknesses or deficiencies that young sprinters have, which could lead to injuries. Athletes receive their data on report cards that include recommended exercises, or correctives, which sprinters can do to improve their specific areas of weakness. By participating in FAST clinics, young sprinters learn how to move correctly so that they can improve their speed and reduce their risk of injuries. 

On the inaugural day of FAST, Freeman brought middle and high school sprinters from TrackGirlz to participate in a variety of functional tests on the track and in the lab at Scottish Rite. A month prior, she completed the tests herself, providing Olympic-level counsel to help identify the appropriate sprinting metrics. “When watching the girls move, it was interesting to see how the data we measured correlated to what I observed with my eye,” Freeman says. “The data gives you confirmation on weaknesses that need to be addressed, removing the guesswork from their athletic development.” 

Beyond movement, researchers surveyed participants on their nutrition habits, sleep routines and training hours. “We can relate mechanical issues and movement deficiencies to these factors as well, which provides a more holistic message,” Ulman says. 

Once a large dataset is collected, the team aims to answer questions that will determine prevalence. “For example, 98% of sprinters have this mechanical deficiency or have a weakness in power that leads to this injury,” Ulman says. “These overarching data points are extremely helpful and will allow us to better target our interventions for these young athletes.” 

Freeman punctuates the importance of TrackGirlz’ collaboration with Scottish Rite. “Through the expertise of the Movement Science team, we are giving these girls world-class information, education and motivation to perform their best.”

Read the full issue.