NEW HIRE: Anna Fennell, SLP

We are thrilled to announce the hiring of a full-time speech language pathologist, Anna Fennell, SLP. We know that Anna is prepared to take on the speech therapy needs of our community, and we cannot wait to see her patients’ recovery journeys.

Anna is a recent graduate of Mississippi University for Women’s Speech Language Pathology/Audiology Program. She completed clinical rotations during her education at another Mid South Rehab facility. We are thrilled to be placing her full-time at Noxubee General Hospital in Macon, MS.

Anna would like to become VitalStim certified, and she would also like to pursue FEES certifications as well.

We are so honored to announce the hire of such an accomplished, dedicated therapist to care for and grow the speech therapy services at Noxubee General Hospital.

Better Hearing and Speech Month Feature: Erica Billups, CCC-SLP

Erica Billups, CCC-SLP is the Director of Rehab at Brookdale Dogwood Creek in Germantown, Tennessee, and she also provides speech therapy services to additional facilities in the greater Memphis area. These include Brookdale Germantown, Robinwood Retirement Resort, The Village at Primacy Place, and Town Village at Audubon Park. Erica graduated from Natchez High School, and she went on to receive her Bachelor and Master of Science in Communication Disorders from Jackson State University in Jackson, Mississippi. In 2010, Erica obtained her Doctor of Health Science degree from Nova Southeastern in Fort Lauderdale, Florida as well. Erica is certified in Mississippi, Arkansas, and Tennessee.

Erica has enjoyed working with early intervention clients throughout her career, and she currently treats the geriatric community. She finds some of her voice and swallow patients to be her most challenging because of the need to obtain more doctor’s referrals to continue treatment in an outpatient setting. This is sometimes necessary to ensure the strategies she prescribes for safe swallowing and effective voice communication are being implemented in the home.

We are so thankful for Erica and her commitment to our patients and residents in the Memphis area!

#ASHA #BuildingConnections #BHSM

Better Speech and Hearing Month Feature: Anna Way, CCC-SLP

Anna Way, CCC-SLP is a speech language pathologist at Yalobusha General Hospital and Nursing Home in Water Valley, Mississippi. She graduated from Cleveland High School and went on to receive her Bachelor’s degree from The University of Mississippi. She completed her graduate degree from Jackson State University.

Anna’s favorite patients to treat are those suffering from dysphagia because of the fulfilling life change she can help them achieve through therapy. Whether her patients are having swallowing difficulties due to a stroke, cancer, or degenerative neurological conditions, it brings Anna joy to help her patients get back to eating their favorite foods - like french fries!

Anna’s more challenging cases lately have been geriatric post-COVID patients. Because of the way the virus attacks the nervous system, many patients have very specific and diversified complications ranging from cognitive, swallowing impairments, and even psychological changes. In a field where face-to-face communication is so integral, helping patients while fully masked and in personal protection equipment was the largest challenge so far in Anna’s career.

We want to sincerely thank all of our therapists at Mid South Rehab, specifically our speech therapists. Speech therapy is all about communication, and it requires a level of closeness that is of paramount importance. We appreciate the incredible work of our speech therapists like Anna who have found a way to share their skills with love and help patients live and do so comfortably and safely.

#BHSM #BuildingConnections #ASHA