USM free OT clinic in Lewiston reopens after pandemic closure

PHOTO: USM Master of Occupational Therapy student Kelsey Covert helps patient Roland Morin at the USM occupational therapy clinic in Lewiston in 2018. The clinic, closed since March 2020, has reopened on USM’s Lewiston campus. (usm.maine.edu photo)

LEWISTON — A free occupational therapy clinic operated by University of Southern Maine students and faculty has reopened after being closed for more than two years because of the COVID pandemic.
The community clinic held a grand reopening ceremony on the Lewiston Campus on Nov. 17.
The clinic operates free of charge to the community. Clients come to the clinic strictly through referrals from local agencies. It is on the Lewiston campus of the University of Southern Maine, 51 Westminster St.
“We’re working to be a resource to the Lewiston-Auburn community,” said Robina O’Rourke, the community clinic coordinator. “Meanwhile, our students are gaining practical real-world experience in both helping people and running a clinic.”