Oct. 27, 2023 By Nevine Salameh
In the zone of health care, dedicated professionals make a substantial impact. This October, as National Physical Therapy Month began, Holliswood Center, a Centers Health Care nursing and rehabilitation facility in Jamaica, proudly announced a significant achievement.
Among the 47 nursing facilities within the network, Hakeem Olabinjo was awarded a certificate of excellence and the title of Physical Therapist of the Month by the American Physical Therapy Association.
As a member of the Sigma Rehab and Centers Health Care team since 2015, Olabinjo’s journey from a physical therapist assistant to a physical therapist in a short period demonstrates his commitment to providing the best patient care.
The facility’s Director of Rehabilitation Janice Salcedo expressed pride in Olabinjo,
“I believe Hakeem is the true example of the word perseverance,” Salcedo said.
When asked about what this recognition meant to him, Olabinjo said he was proud to be honored.
“I feel happy and a sense of successful fulfillment that all of the hard work that we put in for people that come in for our care is recognized, and it encourages me to do better work,” Olabinjo said.
Olabinjo credited the award to “always putting in the extra mile” for the patients that come into his care because the “job is a calling … it comes from the heart.”
He also offered a piece of advice to professionals working in the field, suggesting that “putting in the extra mile” is the path to success and “hard work doesn’t kill … hard work was what won this award.”
Olabinjo cares for the everyday residents of the large 314-bed facility on 195-44 Woodhull Ave., which offers a wide range of health services and programs that are devoted to bringing patients the finest specialized care.
“Our mission is to provide the best quality care and get patients back onto their feet. It’s assured we have the best quality care in the area,” Olabinjo said.
Some of the services and programs that the Holliswood Center provides encompass physical, occupational and speech therapy, along with various complex medical services that include pain management, wound treatment, specialized rehabilitation care and more, such as cardiac therapies and other long-term and short-term care.