Meet Char Combs
Founder & Executive Director
CC Rehab
Char Combs graduated from Wayne State University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Occupational Therapy in 1993. Char has over 26 years of experience working with individuals who have been catastrophically injured. She has been an industry leader in the delivery of home and community-based care and rehabilitation.
Char knew, even in high school that she would be pursuing a career in the health care industry. She took a course in health occupations, and it was soon after that, she began working in a doctor’s office as an assistant. She worked there throughout her senior year in high school, while in college, and even when in OT school.
Char explored many health care careers, but settled on occupational therapy as it embraced rehabilitation of the whole person; mind, body and spirit. This holistic approach to rehabilitation and the ability to support and assist individuals in returning to their previous life roles and functions at their greatest level of independence, is a concept that embodied a profession Char wanted to be a part of.
After graduating from Wayne State University, Char took her first position at St. Joseph Mercy Hospital in Port Huron, Michigan where she worked as a clinician on inpatient rehabilitation unit. She later took a position at Hurley Medical Center, a Level 1 Trauma Hospital, in Flint Michigan. She worked on an inpatient pediatric and adult brain injury rehabilitation unit. It was there that Char gained experience working with individuals that had sustained severe traumatic brain injuries as a result of gun shot wounds, abuse, sporting accidents and of course automobile accidents.
During her time on the inpatient unit at Hurley, Char learned the value of the interdisciplinary team. The concept that working together as a team yielded amazing functional outcomes and allowed those catastrophically injured to have support of therapists, physicians, family members case managers and payor sources. It was also during her time at Hurley when Char began to understand the Michigan no-fault law and its benefits to those individuals who had been catastrophically injured as a result of an automobile accident.
It was also there that she saw many patients leave the inpatient rehabilitation unit and transition to an alternate facility, but only few went home.
Many individuals would routinely come back to visit the therapy department after discharge. However, there was one woman who made a significant impact. She explained that although she could walk, she remained living in a residential facility away from her husband, her children, her friends and her community. She expressed a desire to return home to her family, but was uncertain how she could do the things she did “before the accident” without help or support. That was one of the moments that Char thought maybe we needed to look at rehabilitation
through a more functional lens. It was those thoughts that lead to the vision and soon after creation and incorporation of Functional Recovery Inc.; A Home and Community based rehabilitation program. This program provided Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, Speech and Language Pathology and psychological services to those individuals who were catastrophically brain injured as a result of an automobile accident. Rehabilitation was provided in the individuals home and the therapists utilized the home and community and functional daily life activities as the modality to improve independence. This program allowed people to have the therapy and rehabilitation services they needed in a “real life environment” surrounded by their family and the people who loved them. Char owned and operated Functional Recovery from 1997 until 2009, at which time it was sold to Rainbow Rehabilitation and today it remains the home and community-based therapy division of Rainbow.
Char is the previous owner and CEO of Char Combs Rehabilitation and Consultation Services Inc. Her entrepreneurial spirit afforded her the opportunity to continue her career through this business. She utilized her expertise in the area of Home Modification Assessments and Functional Home Care Needs Assessments. She also provided consultation services and multiple trainings to larger therapy teams and organizations (specializing in brain injury rehabilitation) that were seeking to improve rehabilitative processes and to assist with development of interdisciplinary team best practices for achievement of maximum rehabilitative outcomes.
Char’s Consulting business continued to grow and Char began adding a few community-based rehabilitation clients and soon a few home care clients. This business grew to include nursing services, home health aide services, and OT services for those individuals needing support and assistance in their home.
Char had been a Michigan Brain Injury Provider Council Board Member for over 16 years. She has held board positions in the capacity of Secretary, Membership Chair, Chair of Publicity and Directory and Chair of Event Planning.
She has also been an active and long-standing member, and volunteer for the Brain Injury Association of Michigan. Char has been on multiple committees including the Legacy Host committee, and now the Co-Chair of the Legacy Auction Committee.
In 2019 Char partnered with Special Tree Rehabilitation Systems and is a now the Executive Director of the Home Care and Community Services Division called CC Rehab.
Char lives in Fenton and is the proud mother of 2 sets of identical twin girls; ages 23 and 19.