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Hearing Clinics Outreach ProgramsCommunity Outreach Programs Hearing Aid Bank New hearing aids can cost anywhere from $800 to $3,000 per ear, putting them far out of reach for some Pima County families. As a result, the University of Arizona Hearing Clinic has teamed up with the Tucson Hearing Society , the Community Outreach Program for the Deaf (COPD) and United Way of Greater Tucson to provide reconditioned hearing aids at a drastically reduced cost to those who might not otherwise be able to afford them.
Used hearing aids are donated from throughout the community. These devices are evaluated, refurbished and catalogued by the audiologists and students at the U of A Hearing Clinic. Hearing impaired people who qualify for the program are then seen in the clinic for evaluation, appropriate hearing aids are selected from the Bank and impressions are made of their ears for custom fitting. The recased hearing instruments are then fit and adjusted using the latest computerized evaluation equipment. The patients cost is minimal and most follow up services are provided at no charge! Donating Hearing Aids: The quality of the program depends on the donation of hearing aids. ANY HEARING AID can be used: Older devices are used for parts; custom made instruments can be remade to fit another person's ear. If you have hearing aids to donate, contact Barbara McDevitt at COPD: 792-1906. You can also contact the University of Arizona Hearing Clinic directly at 621-7070. Obtaining Services: If you yourself or someone you know might benefit from hearing aids but cannot afford them, contact Barbara McDevitt at COPD: 792-1906 to qualify. A brief financial summary is required to insure that services are provided to those most in need.
The San Xavier Indian Health Center Hearing Clinic will begin its ninth year this fall. Clinics are held monthly on the Tohono O'Odham Indian Reservation. A typical clinic day will see services provided to patients ranging in age from one week (for newborn hearing re-screening) to 80 years. Faculty from the University of Arizona are joined by students for these wide-ranging experiences.
Festival of Hope Each year, the University of Arizona Hearing Clinic participates in the Tucson Festival of Hope. This large scale, multidimensional fair provides health care and screenings, health information and referral service, food, clothing and groceries to Tucson 's homeless adults and children. In 2004, our clinical faculty and students screened the hearing of over 100 people, finding the appropriate no or low cost referral for all those in need. International Outreach Programs Hermosillo Project The Hermosillo Project is a University of Arizona Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences sponsored project that provides audiological services and hearing aids for 110 hearing impaired children at the Escuela de Audicion y Lingua a school for the deaf in Hermosillo , Sonora , Mexico . Hermosillo is located 300 miles south of Tucson and has a population of over 800,000. For nearly all of the children at the school the Hermosillo Project provides the only audiological and hearing aid services they receive. Most of the children have binaural behind the ear hearing aids that were fit through the project. Hearing aid breakdowns are frequent as most of the hearing aids fit are used reconditioned instruments. Hearing aid repair costs are the largest expense of the program.
Services are provided to the students once a year by University of Arizona students directly supervised by University of Arizona Hearing Clinic faculty and staff and Tucson area audiologists. The program is coordinated by Tom Muller , Au.D ., Section Leader for Clinical Audiology at the University of Arizona . The program is in its fifteenth year and operates strictly on donations from caring individuals from as far away as New York City and local businesses.
Each trip to Hermosillo costs approximately $2000 so there is always a pressing need for tax deductible donations. Hearing aids, teaching materials and office supplies are also needed. Our current wish list includes:
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| Speech, Language, & Hearing Sciences P.O. Box 210071 1131 E. 2nd Street Tucson, AZ 85721-0071 (520) 621-1644 |
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