Connect

This is the latest installment of our Connect article series “Hope at Work” — showcasing inspiring stories about how our team members contribute to UVA Health’s 10-year Strategic Plan: “One Future Together Health and Hope for All.” No matter where you work, you have an opportunity to inspire hope in others. These stories show how:

Dreams From My Grandfather

When Poolatsya Maliwad, PT, MPT, and his cousin were growing up in Gujarat on India’s west coast, they yearned to fulfill the dreams their grandfather had for them. Ranchhodbhai Maliwad — or “Dada” as he was endearingly known — wanted his grandchildren to go into the medical field. No problem for Poolatsya’s cousin, who wanted to become a physician (and did), but Poolatsya wasn’t so keen on that particular track. “I can’t deal with blood,” he recalls thinking. “I don’t have the guts to do surgery.”

Poolatsya also considered becoming a civil engineer like his father and was even accepted into civil engineering school — but decided he wanted to fulfill his grandfather’s dream and go into healthcare.

Sadly, before the cousins could share their goals with Dada, he suffered what may have been a stroke, and was diagnosed with dementia. “If only he’d known our aspirations, he would’ve been thrilled,” says Poolatsya emotionally.

Ironically, it was Dada’s condition that necessitated the care of a physical therapist (PT), and it was witnessing the PT’s dedication that helped Poolatsya hone his own healthcare career choice. “I’ll never forget, the PT was very patient with my grandfather and he never gave up on him.”

Poolatsya went on to earn his bachelor’s in PT in 2010 in India; master’s in PT only a year later at the University of Pittsburgh; and began working on an MBA in 2022 through the University of Massachusetts.

After earning his master’s in PT, Poolatsya worked in New York City, Maryland, and Roanoke, Virginia — before landing a role at a Charlottesville nursing home in 2014.

A year later, he joined a welcoming UVA Health. “It’s not easy to find an employer that's willing to sponsor you,” explains Poolatsya, who has to renew his visa every three years when he returns to India to see his parents, siblings, and in-laws.

‘Gone in a Split Second’

It was on one of those visits to his native country, in April 2020, that immigration authorities in India asked Poolatsya for an employment verification letter. His UVA Health supervisor, Lara Demers, PT, DPT, Adult Physical Therapy Manager, answered his frantic call overnight.

“Lara woke up at 5 a.m. and wrote and faxed that letter to India,” he describes with relief. “From an immigrant’s perspective, you realize everything you’ve earned and worked for can be gone in a split second! If she hadn’t done what she did, when she did it, I wouldn’t have been able to leave for four months. The next week, a COVID-19 wave locked down India!”

“I don’t think my supervisors Stella [Prevost] and Lara realize how big of an opportunity they provided for me by sponsoring me. They’ve been an amazing support system. I’m so grateful. Stella didn’t just focus on my immigration status — she also focused on my skill set. I thank Stella for the opportunity; I thank Lara for keeping me here.”

“The UVA Health Physical Therapy Department has been my family away from family,” declares Poolatsya.

“I love Poolatsya’s vision,” praises Stella Prevost, PT, MS, Director, Inpatient Adult Rehabilitation Services. “When many people see an obstacle to care, he sees a problem that needs to be solved.“

“Poolatsya is very creative and always looking at new and better ways to do things," Lara adds. "He helps to push our department forward."

Forward, indeed. “Every problem is an opportunity to be innovative in finding a solution,” insists Poolatsya, who supports all four goals of our strategic plan’s Strengthening Our Foundation initiative: working as one UVA Health Team; ensuring superior quality, patient safety, and outcomes; supporting resource stewardship; and providing easy access and experience of care. 

Passing the Torch

Poolatysa enthusiastically mentors future PTs. “Teaching interns is like passing the torch on to the next generation of physical therapists to continue providing the best possible care to patients.”

He humbly insists it’s an exchange. “And we learn new ideas from students who help us to get fresh perspectives and updated knowledge. Teaching is a two-way process.”

PT in the ED

Poolatsya is turning PT care in the Emergency Department on its head. In 2018, he launched a pilot program to establish a full-time PT presence in the ED. Previously, PTs were on call and gave a consult every few months in the ED. “They hadn’t realized what we could offer." So he took the initiative and brought the issue to Stella, to spread awareness of what PT could offer the ED.

It took a few months to educate the ED about how a PT can advocate for and improve patient safety, decrease admissions, and avoid readmissions that aren’t cost effective for the patient or the hospital.

Another several months of data collection proved a full-time PT in the ED is a great idea. And since 2019, there’s been a full-time PT in the ED every day for 10 hours — with Poolatsya rotating in and out of the role with another PT.

Poolatsya’s ongoing, daily, quality improvements include streamlining the process of getting mobility equipment such as walkers, crutches, and canes for patients; providing quicker access to PT notes; and helping get ED patients who need it, directly to acute rehabilitation.

A few examples:

• PT also can benefit patients with are getting weaker, but otherwise are medically stable. They may have a minor infection or other causes which don't necessarily require hospitalization, but they aren't strong enough to return home safely. PT can assess and work with the medical team, as well as with a case manager, to help transition the patient to a facility for more rehabilitation.
• Older patients who fall at home and come to the ED, even though the ED is more designed for sickness and life-threatening injuries. “Sometimes, they just need extra help, or are scared of being alone and falling again. A PT is a good resource to assess if someone is stable to go home with some mobility training,” says Poolatsya.

Also, at the request of ED nursing staff, Poolatsya and his team worked with the Fall Risk Committee to come up with a new fall risk assessment tool/scorecard to determine high or low fall risk, causes, and treatments.

Enabling Discoveries for Better Health

Christopher Holstege, MD, Emergency Medicine; Chief, Division of Medical Toxicology at UVA School of Medicine; and Director, Blue Ridge Poison Center, reached out to Poolatsya to consider a better way to treat snake bite patients in the ED.

Until then, PT intervened at a later stage, helping these patients use a walker or crutches. But while discussing care for snake bite patients, Poolatsya and Dr. Holstege learned that if the patient doesn’t move a joint for three weeks, they’ll experience muscle tightness and find it harder to get back range of motion at later stages. So he and Dr. Holstege collaborated to get PT involved earlier and prevent post-snake bite complications.

Previously, hard splints were being used with low compliance from patients. Poolatsya collaborated with two colleagues, Michael Dembik, PT, DPT, and Deanna Mcntire, PT, MHS, to create a new PT protocol that includes splinting the joint in a neutral ankle position — resulting in softer, adjustable splints with a range of motion. Now, patients are more compliant in using the splint — resulting in fewer complications. While this protocol has been applied on only a few patients, the results so far are encouraging. 

Why does Poolatsya thrive on providing such hope at work? “It gives me deeper satisfaction when I see a smile and/or relief on the patient’s face after I’ve addressed their health concerns. That feeling is worth all the hard work. It’s indescribable to explain how satisfying it is!”

MORE Q & A WITH POOLATSYA MALIWAD

PT is a family affair …

“My wife, Niti, was a physical therapist in India, earned an MBA in healthcare management, and while she earns her PT license in the United States, she worked as a PT tech at UVA Health. She may eventually go into healthcare management. Last year, we became proud parents of a baby boy!”

What do you and your family do for fun?

“Gardening, home projects, getting together with friends, cooking, and sharing Indian recipes.

We also enjoy attending Indian Association of Charlottesville events such as Diwali and Independence Day.”

Any favorite places in the area you and your wife like to visit?
Driving through the Blue Ridge Parkway — specifically Ravens Roost Overlook — Carter Mountain, local restaurants, and walking the downtown mall.

Why do you love Charlottesville?

“The small town vibe here reminds me of where I grew up in India!”

Are you ready to share your UVA Health story of inspiring “Hope at Work”? Submit your interest to this form for consideration for a future installment.