Celebrating Occupational Therapy at the Phillies on July 30
Jefferson Student Organizes First OT Awareness Night at Citizens Bank Park

Shannon White, an occupational therapy student at Thomas Jefferson University’s Jefferson College of Health Professions, wanted to help people learn what occupational therapy (OT) is. Last summer at a Phillies game, it clicked. “I knew there were lots of occupational therapy schools and hospitals in the area, and while I was at a Phillies game, I thought: what a great way to promote our profession and bring awareness to the public. Bring OT to the Phillies!”

She called the Phillies’ office and they started planning OT Awareness Night at the Phillies, which will be held on Sunday, July 30 at 7:30 p.m.

Shannon, a native of Lititz, PA, is a second year master’s OT student at Jefferson. She will graduate from the program in December. Shannon says she has grown to love Philadelphia for the educational opportunities it has provided her, the lasting friendships she has made at Jefferson and, “of course, it’s the home of the Phillies! The Phillies have always been my team,” she shares. “My parents had season tickets when they were first married, and the Phillies tradition has been carried throughout the years. Once a Phillies fan, always a Phillies fan!”

“We sold over 1,000 tickets to OT night,” Shannon says. “First I sent an e-mail to the Pennsylvania Occupational Therapy Association and we sold a lot of tickets that way. Then I got contact information for local occupational therapy schools. Philadelphia University, Temple, Elizabethtown and University of the Sciences in Philadelphia got involved right away. I’m doing a clinical rotation at Magee Rehabilitation Hospital, who greatly supported my idea and started the ticket sales immediately. Jefferson and other local hospitals were also quick to respond and get involved.”

WHAT IS OT ?

As she prepares to enter a field that is often misunderstood, Shannon contemplates ways that she can inform the general public about occupational therapy. Some basic facts about OT include

• OT is treatment that helps people achieve independence in their lives -- at work, home and in social and community settings.
• Occupational therapists work with people of all ages who have health problems such as stroke, spinal cord injuries, cancer or disability due to congenital conditions, developmental problems or mental illness.
• OTs work with patients to improve their motor functions, communication and reasoning abilities. With support and direction, patients learn or relearn the day-to-day skills necessary to establish an independent, productive and satisfying lifestyle—from getting dressed to driving, cooking, bathing and operating machinery.
• Jefferson’s Occupational Therapy program is the no. 1 occupational therapy school in the city, state, and Delaware Valley and was ranked 12th in the nation by U.S. News & World Report, 2005.

Contact:

Jane A. Clinton
Director of Marketing and PR
Jefferson College of Health Professions
Thomas Jefferson University
130 S. 9th Street, Ste. 710
Philadelphia, PA 19107

p: 215-503-9865
f: 215-503-9834
e: jane.clinton@jefferson.edu

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