Garrett Orthopedic Physical Therapy & Rehabilitation, or GOPT, celebrated 25 years of business in 2023.
According to garrettgopt.com, GOPT’s mission statement is “...to provide the highest quality Physical and Occupational therapy services to the citizens of Garrett County and surrounding areas through clinical expertise, superior service, a positive environment, and comprehensive, coordinated medical care with physicians and other health care practitioners.”
Co-founded in 1998 by physical therapist Mike Voelkel, GOPT offers a wide range of services such as spinal care, post-surgical rehabilitation, dry needling, and more.
Voelkel went to the University of Maryland at Baltimore medical school to get his Bachelor of Science in Physical Therapy. He would go on to work in the fields of rehabilitation, acute care, shock trauma, home health, and “eventually wound up finding his love in orthopedic rehabilitation.”
“I was Director of therapy at [Garrett Memorial Hospital] from 1992-94,” says Voelkel. “After I got out of doing that, a good friend called me up in ‘98. He and the director who took my job and I were interested in starting a practice. So, we did that so that Garrett County could have an alternative for outpatient, which at the time was really limited.
“It was at the time predominantly an outpatient orthopedic practice and it has sense become a more eclectic practice. We have occupational therapy now, we have a speech therapist, Taylor McDonald who is now coming out a couple days a week. We have an acupuncturist who comes to the practice and sees some clients there.”
Voelkel says that occupational therapy was added to GOPT eight years ago.
“Holly Warne is our occupational therapist and she’s been with the business for about eight years,” he continued. “We were strictly physical therapy from 1998 through 2016 and we heard of the need for OT. Holly had been here for years and worked in the community, so she fortunately came back on board with us.
“It’s been a wonderful experience for me. It started off with three of us as owners, I’ve been sole owner since 2007 and as of last year Steven Holtschneider is now a full partner in the practice so there’s two of us that are kind of running the show. It has been wonderful to serve the community. You get to meet people and their lives, you see what they do, it’s a wonderful thing to be able to make a difference in their lives so that they can do what they need to do.”
Voelkel explained he was drawn to physical therapy because it was the most appealing result he received when taking a vocational interest test in high school.
“It was a great decision,” he said. “I didn’t know it at the time. I didn’t even know what therapy was back then.”
Today, Voelkel is married to his wife Carole, who is also a therapist working at the practice. They have three kids, two grandkids, and a farm with a house they built in 1992 in Garrett County.
Voelkel said that the quality of their employees is what he is proud to share about their practice’s work over the last 25 years.
“That is what makes me feel proud, good, happy,” he said. “The people that Steven and I work with all put customers first. They try to make their day better, regardless of whether they are just coming in through the door or leaving, the hope is that they are getting treated well in between and that they are surrounded by good people.
“You can’t ask for anything more than that.”
Article courtesy of The Garrett County Republican. Staff Writer Claire Sullivan can be reached at 301-334-3963 or by email at [email protected].
