UMD Hearing and Speech Clinic Partners with Lions Club to Offer Free Hearing Aids

The University of Maryland Hearing and Speech Clinic is teaming up with the Lions Club organization to provide free hearing aids and fittings for low-income residents in Maryland and Washington, DC.

According to the National Institutes of Health, approximately 37.5 million American adults report some trouble hearing. Yet only about 15 percent of adults who could benefit from wearing hearing aids has ever used them. Some of the biggest barriers include stigma and cost as hearing aids are not traditionally covered by Medicaid or other forms of health insurance.

Through this new partnership, the UMD Hearing and Speech Clinic is reconditioning hearing aids collected through the Lions Club Outreach Foundation and distributing them to patients in need. Students in the Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences gain critical hands-on experience through the program as they assist in evaluating patients and fitting them with the devices.

“It’s a win-win,” said Dr. Paula Schauer, assistant clinical professor in the Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences. “Our students receive valuable training and we’re able to work collectively to provide this program that’s so important to the community.”

The UMD clinic is assisting qualified residents from Calvert, Charles, Montgomery, Prince George’s and Saint Mary’s counties, as well as Washington, D.C. People interested in applying to receive hearing aids through the program should contact the clinic directly at 301-405-4218.

About the Hearing and Speech Clinic at the University of Maryland:

The Hearing and Speech Clinic at the University of Maryland provides speech, language, and hearing services for individuals of all ages with a wide variety of disorders. It is operated by the Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences as both a training and research facility of speech-language pathology and audiology. Services are provided by students who are working towards their Master's degree in speech-language pathology or their Doctoral degree in audiology. These students are closely supervised by experienced faculty members who are certified by the American Speech-Language and Hearing Association (ASHA) and licensed by the Board of Examiners of the State of Maryland.

Published on Tue, Apr 19, 2016 - 1:47PM