January 06, 2010
Baumgardner serves community members through High Peaks.
LEFT: High Peaks director Judy Baumagardner has served Teton Valley residents for over 20 years from ranchers and farmers to skiers and climbers, impacting generations through her skill and care. CITIZEN PHOTO / JEANNETTE BONERThe founder and orthopedic trailblazer at High Peaks Physical Therapy, Judy Baumgardner, has created more than a business through her healing reputation built on intense study, practice and careful care of Teton Valley residents. She has created a life that is intimately tied to place and people gaining a life rich with intangible awards through her skill and care.
From ranchers and farmers who built these towns, to recreationalists who sought the snow and mountain peaks that they now call home, Baumgardner has cared for them all on her tables.
“I have seen generations of families working for the last 20 years,”
Baumgardner said. “And it was certainly not for the dollar in the end. When people come (to High Peaks) and when people don’t have the money, we trade. I’m not going to deny anyone care because they don’t have the money to pay.”
And it’s with this attitude that she has grown a loyal and steadfast following in Teton Valley, earning the respect of doctors and other medical professional regionally.
“I just don’t read,” she said of maintaining the cutting edge of her everchanging field. “I take the classes.”
She is currently enrolled in courses for radiology, MRI reading, and female sports medicine.
“I don’t study the minimum requirements, I average five courses a year.”
She earned a bachelor’s degree in health, physical education and recreation from Lock Haven University in Pennsylvania, her home state. She went on to received her certificate in Physical Therapy and her masters of science in orthopedic physical therapy from the University of Pittsburgh where she met her husband, social worker Lou Parri.
Despite graduating from Pitt, she remained a staunch Nittany Lion fan (Lou was an undergraduate at Penn State University). Judy and Lou moved to the wilds of Idaho starting in Blackfoot, going to Pocatello and eventually fi nding her home at the base of the Tetons along with their two sons, Mike and Chris.
Working with Idaho Falls medical facilities and then St. John’s in Jackson, Baumgardner found that she could fill a growing need in Teton Valley. In the early 1980s she and Lou moved permanently to Teton Valley purchasing a townhouse they still own and rent to High Peaks employees. As the valley started riding the wave of growth, so did Baumgardner’s business of therapy.
As a member of the American Physical Therapy Association, she is the rare few in the region with her certifi cated achievements. She quickly grew her business and expanded High Peaks services and staff to include two physical therapists, two physical therapy assistants, an occupational therapist and a speech therapist.
“You can go anywhere you want,” Baumgardner said of therapy choices. “You are given a choice. (But) we are the only accredited orthopedic specialist,” she added.
She believes that contributing to the community goes hand and hand with living in the community. Whether it’s through scholarships for Teton High School students, serving on the non profit Teton Valley Education Foundation board, sponsoring athletic events or donating her time to serve Mike and Chris’s teammates as the team’s trainer, she and Lou are in for the long term.
“I’ve always tried to contribute to the community. It’s part of being a part of the community.”
Nominate
Valley Citizen of the Month for December, Judy Baumgardner, received a night’s lodging at the Teton Springs Lodge and Spa. Citizen staff will choose an individual or group each month highlighting exceptional work or character based on your nominations. Teton Springs Lodge and Spa will recognize the Citizen of the Month with a similar gift from the resort. Please send your January nominations to news@valleycitizen.com or call 208-354-NEWS.
