Inside all of us is a drive to be better, to push ourselves physically, to challenge our abilities. It may be in the form of a walk, a game of basketball, or completing an Iron Man but every single day we hear a little voice in our heads screaming for more. Until one day the unimaginable happens, until one day, we get hurt. It’s every athletes worst nightmare, taking time away from what they eat, sleep, and breath, time away for their greatest love, to face an injury.
Although the challenge may seem daunting at first, with the right help and a good support system the road to recovery can be an easy one. That’s the focus at South Florida Rehab Center. To provide every single patient with an experience that is warm, welcoming, and family centered, care is the core of their ethos. South Florida Rehab Center built their foundation on a business model rooted in customer service, passed down from a previous generation of business owners. Yolanda Carvajal, the wife of Owner Gabriel Carvajal, credits her father with instilling these principals in her.
Their approach is simple, build a one to one relationship with the patient. A hands on approach that more often than not makes an otherwise transactional experience, transformational. “Our patients often become our friends” She explains “Customers come in and feel safe.”
At first glance the state of the art training facility can be intimidating although it is designed with elegant aesthetics and decorated with state of the art training equipment, a first timer may feel a little overwhelmed walking in. This is where the team at South Florida Rehab Center shines. The staff, many of which have been with the organization since it’s early days, is eager to help and educate. They strive to provide hands on, educational sessions by going beyond the use of traditional methods such as electrical stimulation and machine based exercise and investing significant time in providing soft tissue therapy as well as guiding patients through exercises developed to build long term support and prevent re-injury. Education is critical, for patients and for their students.
South Florida Rehab Center serves as a learning base for many of South Floridas top schools. Students from programs at The University of Miami, Florida International University, NOVA, and Miami Dade College all seek out the opportunity to intern with Gabriel Carvajal and his team. The interns are amazed by what the wealth of knowledge provided to them.
“We take time to teach each student everything we know because we want them to be the best they can be.” Gabriel explains. “This is how we prepare the next generation of therapist for success.”
The training has clearly paid off, patients of South Florida Rehab Center are thrilled with their results, and they’re eager to let everyone know just how good this facility is.
“Ninety percent of our referrals come from word of mouth, most of our patients have been with us for years,” Yolanda says.
Patients are eager to share their sentiment. Speaking with Lisa Coello, who smiled from ear to ear as she shared “It’s not just treatment, it’s family. They treat you like royalty and they do a wonderful job! Thanks to Gabriel I can continue to play my golf.”
Another gentleman, Lenny Roberts, a runner with knee problems who had no interest in working out at a traditional gym explained how the education he acquired from Gabriel changes his mindset.
“I can run again” he said “I’m very, very happy. They’ve done a great job for me, the people are fantastic!”
Yolanda’s former corporate background exposed her to an environment that felt cold and distant from the patient, something that she just couldn’t accept. Combined with the lessons learned from her family and the passion of her husband, the two worked together to create an environment that provided every single patient a place that not only helped them feel better, but that they could truly feel at home.
South Florida Rehab Center is located at 6812 SW 81st St, Miami, FL 33143. They can be found at www.southfloridacenters.com as well as @SFLrehab on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
