The Westview News

Press Release
October 2019 Employee of the Month
Date
November 14, 2019

     Tom Halley, an Athletic Trainer on the team at Westview Health Care Center, is the organization’s October Employee of the Month. Tom is part of the Sports Medicine unit, and since he was hired in September 2017 he has continually proven himself to be a valuable teammate among his colleagues. Furthermore, he maintains a constant awareness of the excellent caregivers throughout the facility in which he works, even beyond his own department. In turn, this inspires Tom on a path of continuous development within his profession.

     Native to Worcester, Massachusetts, Tom finds himself recently relocated to Connecticut’s quiet corner in pursuit of his passion. He grew up in the Grafton Hill neighborhood of the sprawling Massachusetts city and still maintains ties to friends who also grew up in this area. Tom went on to graduate from Holy Name High School in Worcester as a member of the 2007 class, and it was during this time in his own scholastic athletic career that he began to observe and take an interest in athletic medical care. He was fascinated by the range of solutions that can be offered between simply taping an injured joint or having an advanced knowledge of human anatomy and physiology and advising athletes about injury prevention versus injury treatment.

     Tom attended Merrimack College in North Andover, Massachusetts and there he earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Athletic Training. He went on further in academic education and geographical location to earn a Master’s degree in Athletic Training from East Stroudsburg University in Pennsylvania. His first forays into the field of sports rehabilitation brought him through a few different locations in southern New England before he ultimately found his ideal vocational fit at Westview Health Care Center. Tom’s reaction to Westview’s esteemed monthly award offers insight to his confidence regarding the organization. As he stated:

     “I am truly humbled to be selected as the Employee of the Month. It is a privilege for me to be able to come and work at Westview everyday and to take that team name with me to athletic endeavors outside of the facility. I work with a great team of people who help me to become an even better athletic trainer.”

     According to Tom, he loves the different ways he is able to treat patients in his roles; diverging between two distinct modes based on the settings he finds himself in. As one of Westview’s Athletic trainers contracted to work with the area schools, he provides on-campus expertise, advises on athletes’ readiness to return to play, offers medical support at home contests, and delivers some treatments to student athletes on location. If and when he observes that an athletic treatment requires more attention than what he can provide in the school setting, he can provide an immediate referral to Westview Sports Medicine without needing to involve additional medical approval.

     As passionate as Tom is about working with the student athletes of several of this region’s private and public schools, he is equally enthusiastic about seeing patients in the clinical setting at Westview. Here he utilizes the same anatomical and physiological knowledge base to help athletes from all ages and ability levels, but also people experiencing challenges with their activities of daily living. Whether the individual is a wide receiver injured while running down a football field, or a firefighter injured while running to save a person, or someone who simply injured themselves running to the grocery store—Tom is keenly aware of customizing treatment options. He especially values the balance of work and effort to the outcome and goals expected by each patient in each situation.

     Tom enjoys playing golf and a common interest in this sport promotes a collegial bond between Westview’s Sports Medicine team. They are often inclined to play a quick (and gently competitive) 9 holes at Harrisville Golf Course during Friday afternoons in the summer. A few of Tom’s additional favorite pastimes include supporting the New England Patriots football conquests and traveling with his girlfriend Sarah throughout Connecticut to add to their growing checklist of 5K road races completed and craft beer breweries visited. Whenever possible, Tom cherishes time spent with his mother and father, Mary and Larry, and his sisters Diana and Lynne.

     The Administrator of Westview Health Care Center, David Panteleakos, has enjoyed seeing the growth and expansion of the Sports Medicine team and how Tom Halley strives to make himself a valuable asset for this unit.

Westview Health Care Center is a 103-bed inpatient skilled nursing facility, which includes a distinct and self-contained 28-bed sub acute short term rehabilitation unit and outpatient physical, occupational and speech therapies including: Sports Medicine, Adolescent/Pediatric, Adult, and Aquatic Outpatient Centers, all dedicated to providing outstanding quality health care services. The Dayville, Connecticut facility is consistently ranked among the top nursing facilities in the nation, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services as well as U.S. News and World Report, for the past 12 consecutive years.