Our Mission
At Access Physical Therapy & Wellness, our mission is to have each patient completely satisfied with every aspect of their rehabilitation process. To provide direct access care to our community. To improve the quality of life and reduce pain in each and every patient by providing you with a highly trained team of therapists, friendly, caring and compassionate staff, convenient appointment times and clean, modern facilities.
Our Vision
To be an innovative leader in physical therapy services, consistently exceeding the expectations of our patients, community and our medical colleagues.
Our Staff
Access Physical Therapy & Wellness is a family owned organization with the goal of providing quality physical therapy services. We will work harder to help you feel better. Our staff is extremely dedicated to providing you with expert rehabilitation services. This enables us to get you better and back to your normal activities sooner, safer and with less pain.
Neil Chernick MSPT, OCS, cert MDT, CSCS
Owner/Director
Neil is a cum laude graduate of Ithaca College, where he received both his Bachelors (Clinical Science) and Masters (Physical Therapy) degrees. Over the course of his career, Neil has achieved certifications in several specialty areas. Neil is board certified in Orthopedics by the American Physical Therapy Association. He is certified in the McKenzie Method for diagnosis and treatment of the lumbar, cervical, and thoracic spine. The McKenzie Method has some of the strongest research to support its effectiveness when treating both acute and chronic back and neck pain. He is also a certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist by the National Strength and Conditioning Association. When out of the office Neil enjoys working out, tennis and spending time with his wife and twin baby boys!
Dereck Steffe DPT, MBA
Dereck started his career in the business world, earning an MBA from The Monterey Institute of International Studies in 1999. He subsequently moved to New York City to work in telecommunications sales. However, after moving to New York City, he soon realized that he had an untapped passion for the health and wellness industry. His passion started as a hobby, with frequent exercising and weekend runs turning into two marathons and a new job as a personal trainer in Manhattan. While working several years full time as a trainer, Dereck took post-bac classes in key subject areas in order to go back to school for Physical Therapy. He completed his Doctorate in Physical Therapy from New York Medical College in May 2009. Dereck's focus is evidence-based sports physical therapy, in which he applies the latest clinical research to treat runners, golfers, high school athletes and weekend warriors. In his free time, Dereck still enjoys his weekend runs as well as much hiking, kayaking and sailing as possible, preferably accompanied by his wife and two daughters.