Hanna Davis, 38, of Linden, is the practice liaison for Advanced Physical Therapy Solutions.
She was nominated for 40 Under 40 because “As practice liaison for Advanced Physical Therapy Solutions, Hanna is the link between patients and providers. She steps foot inside every single medical practice in town to advocate for the proper plan of care for her patients. Her dedication to the mission is evident in her desire to always go above and beyond,” nominator Tara Martin writes. “Hanna never does anything halfway and makes sure every project she is involved in is done efficiently. She is someone who never stops moving and never stops meeting people. Her catchphrase is ‘people connect with people’ and she makes sure to always use her connections to make a difference in someone’s life.”
Here’s what else you should know about this member of The Fayetteville Observer’s 40 Under 40 Class of 2024.
Who are your immediate family members?
Daughter of Joel and Regina Davis of Clinton. I have a four-legged 1.5-year-old black Lab furbaby (Cooper) and approximately 35 backyard chickens named after friends and colleagues.
What does your job entail?
As the practice liaison, I am responsible for maintaining, developing and growing relationships with our referral and community partners in Fayetteville and surrounding areas. I do this by discussing and following up on the progress of the patients our referral partners have referred to our clinic, any concerns with their progress or status, educating and promoting additional benefits and uses of physical therapy, our specialty programs and services compared to other competitors. I am also responsible for the networking and recruitment of local universities and Doctor of Physical Therapy Programs to grow our staff. I also work with others in the company and community to identify areas and needs within our community where we can give back.
Where did you receive your education?
Bachelor of Science in Athletic Training from Campbell University; Master of Science in Sports Administration from Northwestern State University.
What community and professional groups are you affiliated with?
North Carolina Board of Athletic Trainers; National Athletic Trainers Association; Purple Cow Group of Fayetteville; The CARE Clinic
How do you volunteer your time in the community?
At Advanced Physical Therapy Solutions we believe in giving back to our community with our time, money and talents. It is our foundational belief that we always leave people better than we found them. As the practice liaison, I seek out, coordinate and participate in all our community outreach projects. For the last several years, as a company, we have partnered with the CARE Clinic providing physical therapy services to their patients once a month. As an individual, I have served on the CARE Clinic’s Development and Fundraising Event Committees (Week of Care, Toast of Town, Golf Tournament, 30th Anniversary Celebration and Boujee Bingo). I am also on the CARE Clinic Board of Directors and serving as the current vice president.
To expand our company’s community outreach this year, we have partnered with the city of Fayetteville Police Department hosting a blessing bag drive for the homeless. Our patients and staff donated and collected enough hygiene, food, and self-care items for 50 individuals to receive a gallon bag filled with basic necessities. We are currently working with the Fayetteville Fire Department Fire Academy conducting injury prevention screens on this class of recruits to determine areas of weakness in their individual physical mobility and stability that increase their likelihood of sustaining a work-related injury. APTS clinicians then provide corrective exercises, interventions and education to reduce each recruit’s risk of injury. We will reassess the progress of each recruit before they complete the fire academy in September to determine the success of the injury prevention screen and interventions, thus preventing them from sustaining a work-related injury. In August, we will partner with local elementary and middle schools to host a Buddy Backpack Drive within our clinic to collect food items for students with food insecurities to ensure they have food outside of school.
What is one thing you wish people knew or understood better about your profession?
I wish that more people understood what physical therapy is and its benefits. Choosing to participate in physical therapy first can save patients from unnecessary financial expenses, testing/imaging, prescription drug and opioid use, and time out of work. Physical therapy first also results in getting better quicker, because, unlike images and medications, physical therapy identifies, addresses and corrects the underlying cause of pain or dysfunction.
What’s the best advice you’ve ever received and/or the worst advice you’ve ever followed?
The best advice I ever received was the recommendation to stay in a place/position for as long as you can make a difference and grow. When you reach the point that you can’t do anything else to grow yourself, your position or business; or you can no longer connect or relate to the people you are working with/helping, it is time to move on.
The worst advice that I ever followed would be to “do whatever makes you happy.” To always do what makes one happy means that we are following a feeling. Feelings are fleeting and change like the wind. Oftentimes what makes us happy in a moment, we regret later. Personal growth and development are generally hard and painful — there is a reason we call them “growing pains.” My advice would be to focus on the big picture of where you want to be later in life, find, acknowledge and enjoy the joys and pleasures along the way, instead of giving into short-term urges or thrills that could potentially harm yourself or life prospects.
What goal have you already achieved, and how did you make it happen?
When I joined the APTS staff, the clinic owner, Laura Schindler, asked me why she should hire me and what benefit/value I could bring to her clinic. As an athletic trainer formerly in the Harnett County school system, I knew how underserved Cumberland County was with providing certified athletic trainers within their high schools. I proposed that we create a Sports Medicine Program within our clinic that would donate athletic training services within Cumberland County Schools. I approached the CCS Board of Education and Village Christian Academy with my proposal and for three years we provided full-time athletic training services to Westover High School (one year), Gray’s Creek (two years), Jack Britt High School (three years) and Village Christian Academy (two years) at minimal cost to the school system. Unfortunately, we had to discontinue the Sports Medicine Program during COVID-19 and were unable to bring it back due to economic changes and circumstances. However, it warms my heart to know that for those three years, we provided medical care and coverage to students who otherwise would not have had access to athletic trainers.
If you weren’t in your current profession, what would you be?
If I had not joined APTS and transitioned into my role as a practice liaison, I most likely would have stayed in the secondary school setting and eventually transitioned into academia full-time to educate and train future athletic trainers.
What are five things (not people or pets) you can’t live without?
My faith in God, coffee, bacon, chocolate and air conditioning.
What’s something you do outside of work to enrich yourself?
My best friend, Johanna Brumm, owns the Downtown Market of Fayetteville. I teach butter churning for beginners, homemade salsa and seasoning blend mixture classes at her store. I find great joy in teaching classes that take us back to the basics of our food and how to make it fresh without being full of preservatives and additives. Johanna also teaches charcuterie and flower arrangement classes, and I am a happy participant in those classes to relax and just enjoy doing something different.
What’s a song that always makes you happy or that motivates you?
“Ice Ice Baby” by Vanilla Ice
Some responses may have been edited for style and grammar.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: 40 Under 40: Hanna Davis of Advanced Physical Therapy Solutions
