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August 19 , 2009

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CSU Dominguez Hills Orthotics and Prosthetics Program Moves to VA Long Beach Medical Center
Move will position graduates to address unique needs of returning disabled veterans, as well the general population with mobility issues requiring prostheses or orthoses

WHAT:            Ribbon-cutting and tour of CSU Dominguez Hills Orthotics and Prosthetics Program’s new facility at VA Long Beach

WHEN:            Friday, Aug. 21,11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

WHERE:        VA Long Beach campus; enter on North Road off Bellflower Boulevard. Link to map here.

WHO:           Congresswoman Laura Richardson, CSU Dominguez Hills President Mildred García, Veterans Affair VISN 22 Director Ronald Norby, VA Medical Center Director Isabel Duff and other university and VALB officials.

(Long Beach, CA) – On Friday, August 21, the California State University, Dominguez Hills Orthotics and Prosthetics (O&P) Program, in collaboration with the VA Long Beach Healthcare System (VALB), will officially open the doors to its new home at the medical center. To mark the move and new affiliation, university and VA officials will participate in a ribbon cutting ceremony at 11 a.m.

The new 10,200-square-foot facility at VALB will provide unprecedented opportunities for O&P students to learn and veterans to receive the latest in prosthetic care. The new home at VALB also opens the doors for expanding the O&P program’s academic offerings, such as vocational training for returning veterans and continuing education for VA staff.

“By interfacing with VA health personnel, our students will be exposed to state of the art medical practice and have access to the world class VA Gait laboratory for research. This is a golden opportunity for the CSU, the VA, and people in need of prosthetic and orthotic services,” said Scott Hornbeck, coordinator of the O&P program.

The Department of Veterans Affairs is a world leader in prosthetics and rehabilitation. In fiscal year 2008, over 131 board-certified prosthetists and orthotists provided care to over 1.9 million veterans with a budget of $1.6 billion. Combined with over 25 years of educational excellence in O&P by CSU Dominguez Hills, one of only nine such programs in the nation and the only one in California, the collaboration anticipates graduating 48 highly trained students who will represent nearly 20 percent of the nation’s practitioners.

The new facility, which will be named the VA Long Beach Healthcare System/CSU Dominguez Hills Center for Orthotics and Prosthetics, will begin serving students and the nation’s veterans within the month. This collaboration will ensure the combined mission of education that is shared by both CSU Dominguez Hills and VALB and continue VA’s mission to provide the best health care possible.

For more information about the CSU Dominguez Hills Orthotics and Prosthetics program, visit www.csudh.edu/oandp.

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About CSU Dominguez Hills -- California State University, Dominguez Hills is a highly diverse, urban university located in the South Bay, primarily serving the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The university prides itself on its outstanding faculty and friendly, student-centered environment. Known for excellence in teacher education, nursing, psychology, business administration, and digital media arts, new degree programs include computer science, criminal justice, recreation and leisure studies, social work, and communication disorders. On campus is the Home Depot Center, a multi-purpose sports complex that hosts world-class soccer, tennis, track and field, lacrosse, and cycling.

Media Contact:
Amy Bentley-Smith
(310) 243-2455
abentleysmith@csudh.edu

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