The Hearing Clinic at the Worcester State University Speech-Language-Hearing Center has expanded its services to including hearing aid dispensing, with support from a $73,460 grant from the Health Foundation of Central Massachusetts.
According to Associate Professor of Communication Sciences and Disorders Keith Darrow, Ph.D., “The grant enables us to offer complete audiologic services, including diagnostic evaluations, hearing aid consultation and dispensing services, and aural rehabilitation. In addition, we were able to purchase new equipment and hire Tina Coderre ’79, a licensed and certified audiologist with more than 30 years experience in the field.”
Interim Dean of the School of Education, Health, and Natural Sciences Linda Larrivee, Ph.D., notes, “National research shows that approximately 36 million Americans have hearing loss. It’s the third most common chronic health condition in the United States. This grant enables us to help more people improve their hearing health.”
The WSU Speech-Language-Hearing Center, which has been in existence more than 35 years, is the only center of its kind in Central Massachusetts. It serves approximately 175 clients each year who receive disorder-specific services from speech-language pathology graduate students under the supervision of licensed, certified speech-language pathologists and audiologists. It also offers individualized services to people of all ages diagnosed with communication disorders and/or differences in articulation, fluency, voice, language, and hearing.
Ann Veneziano-Korzec, director of the center, states, “The services we can provide, thanks to this grant, are unique in that we pair hearing aid dispensing with complimentary communication therapy on how to use the aids and how to communicate effectively.”
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