University closes physical therapy department

UC Santa Barbara will close its physical therapy department at the end of summer, laying off two physical therapists and referring students to off-campus providers. The University has not released a public statement on the decision to date.

The union representing the University of California’s physical therapists, University Professional and Technical Employees, Communications Workers of America (UPTE-CWA) Local 9119, was notified of the closing on June 30. According to Lead Communications Specialist Zac Goldstein, physical therapists were not involved in the decision and it was announced “suddenly” at an all-staff meeting.

The department provides students with services including sports rehabilitation, spine care, joint and postural restoration and other recovery procedures. According to the department’s website, it stopped accepting new patients on August 1. 

Elizabeth Alexander, one of the physical therapists who will be laid off, has worked at the department for nearly a decade. Alexander highlighted the impact that the department’s closing may have on students who utilize its services. 

“To lay off my colleague and me — professionals who have served this clinic and its students for years — while closing the facility forces students off campus, where higher fees, long waits, and transportation hurdles make it far harder to keep up with the multiple weekly sessions many injuries require,” Alexander said in a statement to the Nexus. “Even with buses or Uber, the cost, travel time, and energy required to attend multiple weekly visits can become overwhelming, especially for those in pain.”

UPTE-CWA started a petition in favor of keeping the physical department on campus. It is unclear what led the University to the decision to close the department. 

“In reviewing its services over the past year, Student Health determined that there are a number of providers in the immediate area who can provide our students with these services,” UCSB media spokesperson Kiki Reyes said. “Student Health is reaching out to the small number of students who were utilizing the physical therapy services to help with the transition and to ensure continuity of care. Affordable health care and our students’ wellbeing is our highest priority.”

In March, former University of California President Michael V. Drake announced a hiring freeze in light of federal and state budget cuts.  

“Across UC, we’re seeing similar layoffs and a self-imposed ‘hiring freeze’ even though the UC system holds billions in reserves, and those cuts directly undermine patient care: when timely therapy disappears, minor injuries snowball into chronic pain, lost sleep, and academic setbacks, and many students simply delay or abandon treatment altogether,” Alexander said. “This isn’t an administrative tweak; it’s a choice that erodes student health, equity, and success.”