People news: St. Luke Health Services names new director of rehabilitation therapy services

OSWEGO, N.Y. — St. Luke Health Services in Oswego announced it has appointed Chuck Besa as the new director of its Rehabilitation Therapy Department.

He will oversee a staff of physical, occupational, and speech therapists at the health-care facility who provide comprehensive sub-acute services.

Besa is a certified skilled-nursing facility manager with more than 19 years of experience as a physical therapist from acute care to long term care, St. Luke Health Services said. He also previously managed an out-patient clinic in memory care, independent living, and assisted-living facilities.

“We are pleased to welcome Mr. Besa to lead our Rehab team here at St. Luke,” Shelly Youngs, St. Luke’s administrator, said in a statement. “Chuck brings a wealth of experience and will share his expertise with dedicated professionals who share his philosophy of person-centered quality care, by treating everyone with compassion and respect.”

A 2004 graduate with a bachelor’s degree in physical therapy from the Pontifical and Royal University of Santo Tomas, Manila, Philippines, Besa went on to earn his doctorate degree in physical therapy in 2018 with geriatric certification from the Evidence in Motion Institute of Health Professions in San Antonio, Texas.

St. Luke Health Services is a part of the St. Luke Family of Caring, an affiliation of community-based, not-for-profit health care and residential-service providers serving the greater-Oswego County area.