Staff of St. Matthews rehab facility recognized with national certification

Story by: Sara Thompson on March 22, 2021

Norton Specialty Rehabilitation Center – St. Matthews has been designated a Physiological Oncology Rehabilitation Institute (PORi) Center of Excellence. This is the only national certification in cancer rehabilitation, which offers therapies designed to improve physical function during and after cancer treatment. Oncology physical therapists receive extra training to address the unique needs of individuals undergoing or recovering from cancer-related surgeries, radiation and/or chemotherapy.

“Four of our therapists completed training to establish the Norton Specialty Rehab Center as a PORi-certified Center of Excellence,” said Susan Barker, MHA, M.S., CCC-SLP, director, rehabilitation services at Norton Women’s & Children’s Hospital and the Norton Specialty Rehabilitation Center-St. Matthews. “We are very proud to offer this level of service to our patients.”

The PORi approach

The physiological effects of cancer and oncology-related treatments are profound. It is crucial that oncology rehabilitation providers address all of the patient’s body systems that have been (or may be) affected by cancer or its treatment. PORi certification teaches rehab team members about the impact of cancer and cancer treatment on all facets of physiology, including skin, muscles and cardiovascular system. The goal is to achieve optimal resolution of any issues in the patient’s body.

Certification process

​Participating therapists start their PORi training with a PORi foundation course, which is a prerequisite for all the other PORi courses.

​Once they have completed the foundation course, they can advance their specialty skill set by building additional core specialties related to specific cancers or body areas.

A facility designated as a PORi Center of Excellence, like Norton Specialty Rehabilitation, has at least two current PORi-certified oncology Rehabilitation specialists or at least one PORi-certified oncology rehabilitation therapist in each core.