The new Physical Therapy Center for Advanced Clinical Practice, which was officially chartered as a university center only last year, is opening its doors to the campus and the community. The open house will take place from 4 to 7 p.m. in the center in Room 1625 of Jacaranda Hall (formerly the Engineering Building) near the center of the campus at 18111 Nordhoff St. in Northridge.

"The chartering of the center is something the department has worked on since it opened," said physical therapy chair Janna Beling. "Now that it's ready to come to fruition, we're very excited and happy to offer services to the community."

Department faculty will offer a variety of specialty practice areas, ranging from bone density screening and geriatric rehabilitation to gait analysis and computerized motion analysis. Also offered will be rehabilitation workshops and classes, treatment for osteoporosis and stress testing, as well as orthopedic pediatric evaluation and treatment.

The center--the only one of its kind in the San Fernando Valley--is part of the College of Health and Human Development. It supports research, community service and education specific to physical therapy. Its new state-of-the-art equipment will offer an enhanced environment for graduate student learning.

Beling said there are no similar facilities in the Valley. CSUN's center has the only balance and vestibular lab--for clients with balance problems--and the only 3-D motion analysis lab. "We're very much a specialty practice," she said.

For more information, call the department at (818) 677-2203 or e-mail pt@csun.edu.