Open Access

California facility welcomes patient questions and offers a 24/7 answering service

John McAtee, CP, FAAOP, launched Channel Islands Prosthetics & Orthotics in 1985 with Mark Warmuth, CO, a fellow graduate of UCLA, two years after they were certified. Warmuth sold his interest to one of their employees, Christopher Holloway, CO, in 2016. McAtee and Holloway have been co-owners since then.

Channel Islands P&O occupies a suite of offices in Ventura, California, in an industrial park close to the freeway for easy access to hospitals. The 3,600-square-foot facility features four fitting rooms, one with parallel bars; a front office; and about 2,400 square feet for fabrication and storage. The company has 10 employees, including its owners, two additional clinicians, and two certified technicians.

“We see all kinds of patients, from infants who need remolding helmets to the elderly,” says McAtee. “Most of our prosthetic patients have diabetes.” For now, the facility also sells diabetic shoes.

The Channel Islands team makes most devices in-house, and McAtee is still a proponent of hand casting with a total-surface bearing socket. “I handcast under vacuum, and for below-knee prostheses I like to use a two-stage casting technique with suction at each stage,” he says. “It gets a very good total surface-bearing negative and then positive mold that needs less time to modify.” He also is considering using a more technologically advanced casting technique, the Symphonie Aqua weight-bearing casting system.

The facility leverages scanning technology to create cranial molding orthoses and arch supports, among the few devices they send to a central fabrication service. McAtee and Holloway are proud of the time they spend up front making sure devices are accurate. “We take our time to listen and explain,” McAtee says. “By investing that time evaluating the residual limb and ensuring a good fit, we reduce problems down the road and probably spend less time overall.”

McAtee considers all of his patients’ success stories, but a few stand out. “We fit a young high school student who was a very good softball player before she lost her arm below the elbow in an accident with an off-road vehicle,” he says. “We made a prosthesis she could use to hold the bat—and her first time up at bat, she hit a triple! The device worked in the outfield, too, as she figured out how to get the glove in her other hand, catch the ball, and throw it.”

Another patient is a marathon runner, who has run in multiple races—including the Boston Marathon.

Channel Islands P&O focuses its charitable efforts on providing free or low-cost prostheses to patients who cannot afford them, using high-quality used components. Holloway volunteers every year at the Angel City Games, an adaptive sports competition held in Los Angeles. Competitors can take part in track and field, wheelchair basketball and tennis, archery, swimming, sitting volleyball, and table tennis events.

McAtee and Holloway say they prioritize providing excellent patient care and follow-up. “After a fitting, I see patients at one week, two weeks, a month, six months, and then yearly if all goes well,” says McAtee. “We have a 24/7 answering service, but every patient also has my cell phone number. They can text me and I’ll get back to them as soon as possible. It’s surprising how many issues you can solve over the phone. Patients really appreciate having that access, and it saves time for them and for me.”

After many dedicated years of running Channel Islands P&O, both McAtee and Holloway are ready to hand over the reins to another owner, but both plan to stay on as employees. The two were in negotiations with a potential buyer and by press time, the facility may well have new owners. “Stepping down but continuing to practice will be a good exit strategy,” says McAtee. “We can continue to do what we love but reduce the time—and worry—spent on administrative tasks.”