What Makes Us Special

People search websites to find the professional who seems to meet their needs; the company that seems to have the best qualified personnel; the latest technology, the best methods, the newest materials…and yes, we feel that we qualify in all of these categories.

What makes us special is the fact that we make everything in house.  We do not take a cast of a person for a prosthesis or an orthosis and then ship it out to a company that will   “central fabricate” it. 

We take a cast of  our patient – we fill the cast – and then we proceed to the fabrication right here in our 162 Main Street, Wakefield, RI facility.  The components are chosen to best suit the patient’s needs and it is made – from scratch – by our well qualified staff.  When you consider that this means that once you’ve received your prosthesis or orthosis and it needs an adjustment, we can do it on the premises.  We understand how to make the adjustment  as can only be understood by those who’ve done the fabrication.  We are not going to tell you that “you’ll get used to it,” if an adjustment needs to be made.  We know how to make the correction.  This is critical to the fit of a new prosthesis or orthosis and it should be a critical factor in the decision process a patient makes before choosing a prosthetist/orthotist.

This is what makes us special.

Meet the Founder

Robert C. James, CPO, has been working with prosthetic and orthotic patients from all walks of life for almost  50 years.  He worked his way from an apprentice at the Rhode Island Hospital’s orthotic and prosthetic facility to the position of Acting Manager of the entire facility in a matter of ten years.  During this time he worked with the best Orthopedic Staff the State had to offer – every day was a learning experience.

He left Rhode Island only after he was chosen by Dr. Richard Warren of Massachusetts General Hospital to administer the Veterans Administration sponsored Boston Interhospital Amputee Study (BIAS).  This was an intensive three year study  that followed amputees from their surgery through to their permanent prosthesis.   Mr. James was in the operating rooms with the surgeons during the amputations of patients participating in BIAS.  He applied an immediate fit pylon to the residual limb right after surgery and the patients were weight bearing within days of the amputation.  Patients were followed throughout their recovery and the statistics compiled and submitted to the Veterans Administration.  Although the study offices were in Cambridge City Hospital, the surgeries took place in numerous hospitals throughout the Boston area – Massachusetts General and Beth Israel included.  Because of his involvement with the VA in BIAS, he was afforded opportunities to continue his unique prosthetic studies at the VA Center in Seattle, Washington as well as New York University.  It was an invaluable opportunity for Mr. James  to learn above and beyond the normal education available to most prosthetists/orthotists.  It was an opportunity that brought learning experience that has stayed with him throughout his career.

Following the BIAS Study, Mr. James formed his own company in 1976 in South Kingstown later expanding to a branch office in Woonsocket, RI.

Education

Here at South County Artificial Limb and Brace we place a great emphasis on continuing education.

Robert C. James, Certified Prosthetist and Orthotist has completed the rigorous requirements of the national accrediting body known as the American Board for Certification.

Joshua R. James, Certified Prosthetist and Orthotist has completed the difficult requirements of the Board for Orthotic/Prosthetic Certification and the American Board for Certification.

They are both licensed by the  State of Rhode Island Department of Health Licensing Division which has quality education and professional  standards that must be met before a license is approved.

Brandon S. Hawksley, our apprentice who is training to be a Certified Prosthetic and Orthotic Technician, has a Bachelor of Science degree in Kinesiology from the University of Rhode Island.  Kinesiology is the scientific study of human movement.

In addition to this, every year our professionals attend several continuing education conferences sponsored by Chapters of the American Academy of Orthotics and Prosthetics.  These multi-day conferences offer business and scientific sessions given by leaders in the field of orthotics and prosthetics.