RIDGEFIELD PHYSICAL THERAPY staff includes owner and long-time physical therapist Pete Bartel (left) and assistant Corrine Prather (right).
RIDGEFIELD PHYSICAL THERAPY Owner Pete Bartel is shown here in his treatment center, located at 2 South 56th Place in Ridgefield.
The secret to Pete Bartel‘s long-time success as a physical therapist in North County is that his profession is his passion. After decades in the same field Bartel, owner of Ridgefield Physical Therapy, still enjoys his work and passing his knowledge on to area high school students.
“It’s what I love doing,’’ Bartel said. “I’ve been doing it for 40 years and I still love it. A casual comment my mom made got me on the right track and I haven’t looked back.”
A 1971 graduate of Ridgefield High School, Bartel earned his Bachelor of Science in physical therapy from University of Washington. He hadn’t chosen his major when he enrolled, however. His mother, who was a nurse, told him to look into physical therapy. Bartel did, was accepted into the program and the rest is history. He feels fortunate to have fallen into the profession that he did.
Throughout his career, Bartel’s enthusiasm for physical therapy has rubbed off on many young people within his scope of influence. About 25 years ago, Battle Ground High School (BGHS) staff approached him to help them develop their Health Occupations class and, shortly thereafter, he began working with Prairie High School (PHS), as well. Bartel’s physical therapy assistant, Corrine Prather, chose her field through her experience as a patient of his and a student in his BGHS class.
As many area residents may know, Bartel’s original practice was Battle Ground Physical Therapy, which he opened in 1987. He ran both offices simultaneously for several years and then sold Battle Ground Physical Therapy to two physical therapists who were also students of his. Deborah Lehner heard him speak and then she brought in PHS graduate Shannon Schram, who had also heard Bartel speak through the Health Occupations program. These ladies now assist in the classes at BGHS.
“That’s probably one of the more rewarding parts of my job - talking with students and helping them out,” Bartel said. “Quite a few of them are now PTs (licensed physical therapists) so it’s kind of rewarding to see.”
With his obvious interests in the next generation and injury prevention, he was happy to accept a request years ago by a parent of the Ridgefield High School (RHS) football team to head up their volunteer medical staff. That turned into assisting on the sidelines for wrestling and basketball, as well.
He’s been recognized over the years for his efforts with young people, in particular. In 1996, he received KPTV’s For Kid’s Sake Award, which was presented to him by Portland’s then-mayor, Vera Katz. Bartel also received the Joe Johnson Memorial Award for Volunteer Service in 2004 at BGHS.
Bartel’s Ridgefield roots go back as far as the 1870s and he and his wife, Eileen, continue to live on a parcel of the original land where his 90-year-old mother resides, as well. His brother, sister and all their children are also RHS graduates. His father was a volunteer Ridgefield fire chief and his brother, Larry, was Ridgefield’s fire chief for 33 years and is currently a Clark County Fire & Rescue commissioner. Naturally, Bartel followed in the family’s heritage as a volunteer firefighter/EMT for the city of Ridgefield for 27 years.
“We started chasing fire trucks before I was a kid. My brother, dad and I would jump in the truck and follow the engine. That’s how I got interested in that,” Bartel said.
Not a man given to idle time, his new project is working with a group called Action on Sight. According to Bartel, they’re an injury prevention company that troubleshoots with area businesses such as Frito Lay in Vancouver and Corwin Beverages, located in Ridgefield.
Bartel has seen the evolution of physical therapy through the span of his career. Whereas the focus used to be on treating the patient’s immediate injury, today’s approach has turned toward educating patients and giving them tools to work on at home that move them beyond injury to recovery and building sustainable health. Ridgefield Physical Therapy treats sports injuries, work injuries all the way up to care after knee replacements.
Bartel reminds area residents that if an injury is covered by insurance, most companies still allow a patient to seek care wherever they choose even if that’s not the impression the individual is given. He adds that things like price, location and the amount of time the provider is able to spend with each patient are important things to consider.
Ridgefield Physical Therapy is located at 2 South 56th Place, Ridgefield. For more information go to www.physicaltherapyridgefield.com or call (360) 887-7147.
