Today we’d like to introduce you to Joel Phillips.
Hi Joel, so excited to have you on the platform. So, before we get into questions about your work life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today.
As a Kalamazoo native, I have had the opportunity to learn and grow from, through, and around the same community that I serve to this day. Both sides of my extended family have deep roots in and around our community, which I believe helped to contribute to a significant part of my calling and career path. For as long as I can remember, I have always enjoyed a natural inquisitiveness of how things work and come together this includes areas of interest as well things that include the human factor. My mother often reminds me that as a child, “you were always in the center of things, of whatever was happening.”
In high school, I had the privilege to be enrolled in a program through the district centered around introducing students to medical skill sets, terminology, anatomy and physiology, and career shadowing. This allowed students to leave their area high school and, along with other area students, be introduced to these advanced skill sets within a highly professional medical setting. The program at that time was called Health Occupations. The programs second year (senior year), set students up with a yearlong internship with our chosen field of interest. This proved to be a catalyst moment for me as I discovered the field of occupational therapy. The program still maintains a strong heritage and continues to play an optimal role in the advanced preparation of tomorrow’s health professional. A few monumental and influential moments happened during this time that stuck with me and showed me the real-life impact that OTs have when working directly with a person while helping to restore function and purpose. The end product often resulted in positive outcomes, functional restoration, and overall improved quality of life. Long story short…it was an easy decision for me.
Fast forward. I was given the opportunity to work as an OT aide in a hand surgery and hand therapy practice during my undergraduate studies at WMU. Aside from learning and observing clinical tasks, I was almost equally intrigued by the practice management and business aspect of how things worked. I watched and soaked up everything I could during this time. A couple years later, I was accepted into the WMU School of Occupational Therapy. At this point in my education and early career, I realized my potential and knew I wanted to own my own practice/business.
A couple years after finishing OT school, I was working for two different companies in and around the greater Kalamazoo and Grand Rapids area, and during this time, I began the process of starting my own company. Over time I have learned that some of the best opportunities come from solving problems and finding solutions for said problems. I started a company that worked to bridge the gap between otherwise “homebound” and outpatient services for patients. That service grew and continued to expand over the following 18 months when I decided to take on a good friend/colleague; the sky was the limit. Together we began servicing multiple contracts and created a staffing service of OTs. We also began a consulting business that managed the work and development process for a larger company.
The company grew exponentially as did our opportunities to get into other areas of interest as well as aim towards other goals. For me, teaching and academia were on that list. In 2007 I began teaching as an adjunct professor in the College of health and human services, school of occupational therapy at WMU. This later turned into a full-time teaching role as faculty clinical specialist within the department. Around this time is when the power of people, potential, and connectivity entered the equation. Through a lifelong friend, colleague, and influential human I was introduced to the then and current CEO of the Family Health Center, Denise Crawford. Along with a love for the community and the foresight of expanding services, Denise presented a goal and opportunity to help bring specialized services to the organization with the purpose of extending specialized care to the often marginalized and underserved population. Over the next 18 months, the development of the program took place. Our company had successfully collaborated to develop and pioneer the first outpatient OT clinic inside of an FQHC (Federally Qualified Health Center within the state of Michigan!
Ten years later, we have developed an effective and efficient program along with a highly trained team that provides clinical, administrative, and program development services to the organization in two locations. We have expanded our scope of services to include advocacy, professional development, consulting, and performance recovery.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
This journey has been exciting and eye-opening along the way. There have been countless learning moments and challenges; however, none have been in vain. I believe everything can be a learning experience. One of the largest yet interesting challenges as we developed the program was integrating our services and therapeutic value into the role of providers who may not have ever utilized occupational therapy. This was directly related to scaling the program and the development of services. Like I mentioned beforehand, opportunity often comes by providing solutions. So along with consistent advocacy, we built relationships with the providers based on how we could help them provide more thorough and efficient care by utilizing occupational therapy for their patient caseloads by first understanding the wide scope of services they now had access to.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Kasyris Management & Consulting LLC?
Occupational therapy at Family Health Center is provided by Kasyris Management & Consulting, LLC. Our Occupational Therapists assess the way people function in their daily life to determine how to return to a prior level of functionality or as independence as possible after an injury. We also help children who have developmental and behavioral conditions that impact their independence and day-to-day activity. We assist with self-care, home and work skills, recreational activities, cognitive deficits, and much more.
As pioneers in providing occupational therapy services within an FQHC (Federally Qualified Health Center) in the state of Michigan, we utilize innovative management and consulting services tailored specifically to meet the needs of our clients. Our mission is to improve advocacy, education, health equity, equality, and quality care to the community and beyond while improving the human condition through the practice of occupational therapy.
Before we go, is there anything else you can share with us?
I’ve learned that balance in life is one of the most valuable things to try and keep. Aside from being an OT and business owner, I am the father of 3 amazing kids who inspire me. I spend the majority of my free time developing and running my racing program. Driving a race car is a kind of challenge that motivates you in a different way. The sport, the car, the people, and its surroundings have their own sanctuary. Driving a race car at pace is a raw challenge; it forces you to use all of your senses and process what you are seeing, hearing, and feeling at an incredible rate.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.kasyris.com
- Instagram: @KASYRISOCCUPATIONALTHERAPY
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/kasyrisManagement.OT
