LA GRANDE — Mountain Valley Therapy, 2519 Cove Ave., will celebrate its 25th year of patient care at an open house Sept. 4, 5-7 p.m., at the La Grande facility.

Executive Director Tracey Gorham and Human Resource Manager Kaylin Winans invite the public to attend and join in celebrating the milestone.

One of the original owners, David Ebel, will talk about the history of Mountain Valley Therapy. His presentation will begin at 5:30 p.m. during the open house event.

“He and Diane Warnock were the original owners when the business was started back in January 1999,” Gorham said. “In 2008, they had a third owner, James Gorham, who joined the company. Then Diane retired at the end of the year and David sold his shares, so now James Gorham is the sole owner and CEO of the business.”

Tracey and James Gorham are married to each other. 

Those attending the open house will be given tours of the facility. Snacks will be available, and door prizes will be given away.

“We’ll have two one-month free gym memberships to give away and a grand prize of a free one-year gym membership,” Tracey Gorham said.

Mountain Valley Therapy employs 30 people and Mountain Valley Fitness and Health center employs eight, Winans said. The business employs 10 physical therapists, four physical therapy assistants and one occupational therapist.

The business sends out one of its physical therapy assistants, an athletic trainer, to work with La Grande High School athletes. “Mountain Valley Therapy provides physical therapy for all of the La Grande schools and outlying schools such as Union, Imbler, Elgin and Cove School,” Gorham said.

The business also provides a therapist to go to Eastern Oregon University to work with its athletes. “We try to do a lot for the community,” Winans said.

Mountain Valley Therapy is invested in the community in ways beyond providing patient care. It’s involved in the annual Festival of Trees and also donates to the food bank. “It’s part of our mission statement to provide for the community,” Gorham said. 

The facility and its staff handle, on average, between 400 and 500 patient visits each week.

Gorham said the national demand for therapists is great. “As an industry across the country, we need about 25,000 to 30,000 more physical therapists, assistants and occupational therapists,” she said.

The vision statement at Mountain Valley Therapy states that “We use our passion to empower all people to experience the full joy of living.” So, the staff would love to meet members of the community and show them what they have to offer.

“We’d like you to join us in celebrating this milestone, enjoy the tours, snacks and drinks,” Winans said.