This article was in the Joint Economic Development Initiative Newsletter website
March 3, 2004
Volume 10 No.1
Page 10
Levi Makes Wellness A Priority
By Eve Mills Nash
Billie-Jo Levi has always been interested in physical fitness. Today that interest fuels the enthusiasm with which she runs Levi Physiotherapy and Wellness Clinic located beside her home community of Elsipogtog. Levi says she always knew she would be in the business of helping people. In her teens, she dreamed of a career in pharmacology, but while completing an undergraduate degree in Science at Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia, she decided work as a physiotherapist would be more rewarding. At the age of twenty-four, Levi entered the University of Toronto Faculty of Medicine in Physical Therapy. Her extensive training included sports therapy, acupuncture, and CranioSacral therapy. Four years later, after working at a private clinic in Moncton and for a hospital in Miramichi, she decided to open her own clinic.The grand opening took place in August 1999. “It started out slowly part time, just me and a few clients,” Levi says. “Now business has tripled and I have had to expand.” Today Levi Physiotherapy and Wellness Clinic employs a full time receptionist/physio assistant and a part time trainer. A massage therapist is also available within the 900 square foot structure. Levi has had to advertise very little. Most of her referrals come from doctors. She is an active member of the Canadian Physiotherapy Association and the New Brunswick Sports Medicine Council.The clinic offers a diverse selection of physi-otherapy services including acupuncture, craniosacral therapy, therapeutic massage, exercise and fitness programs, computerized gait analysis, prescription customized orthotics, sports therapy and blood pressure clinics. Levi even makes home visits. All services are aimed at improving the quality of life of the clients. The motto of the clinic is: “Walk with us towardwellness.” Levi says family members were her biggest supporters when she decided to go into business for herself. Her husband, Junior Bernard, and her two children have had to adjust to her busy work schedule. Her father, Albert Levi, and sister,Susan Peters, who are also entrepreneurs, give encouragement when things get hectic. “It’s hard work trying to balance family life and keeping the clinic running smoothly,” Levi says “But I love my work and it makes me feel good to see functional improvements in my clients.” Levi sometimes thinks of pursuing further studies in the medical field but says she would probably miss working at the clinic. So, for now, she intends to promote wellness just where she is on Route 116, near Rexton.
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