Cal State Dominguez Hills Program Gets Grant

A program at Cal State Dominguez Hills that devises artificial limbs and mechanical body supports has been awarded a three-year, $588,000 federal grant, university officials announced this week.

It is the third time the the school has received the grant in 10 years, said Ira Schoenwald, director of Dominguez Hills’ orthotics and prosthetics program. Given by the federal Rehabilitation Services Administration, it is the only such grant the federal government has handed out this year, Schoenwald said.

The grant will provide the baccalaureate program with $196,000 a year for materials, personnel and other related services, he said.

The work-training program is one of only five baccalaureate programs in the nation specializing in orthotics and prosthetics. Students in the program work with medical professionals at Rancho Los Amigos Medical Rehabilitation Center in Downey.

Schoenwald said he was “delighted that the hard work that we’ve been doing over the years has been recognized.”

However, he said he was saddened that there was not enough funding to award grants to the five other universities--including UCLA--that applied. Funds are badly needed to maintain the small number of costly programs at such institutions across the nation, Schoenwald said.