Photo taken in 2019.
Mobile Hearing And Speech Clinic Arrives In The Metro East
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he St. Louis Children’s Hospital mobile hearing and speech clinic provides pediatric hearing and speech services to children in need. The mobile clinic serves children from birth to 21 years old who require audiologic follow-up after failed or missed hearing screenings, or when hearing concerns are noted. In conjunction with the National and State Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Center, the mobile clinic provides newborn hearing screenings by 1 month of age, a hearing loss diagnosis by 3 months of age and hearing loss intervention by 6 months of age. All services are provided by pediatric audiologists and speech language pathologists from St. Louis Children’s Hospital. The mobile clinic provides patients who wouldn’t have access to pediatric audiology services an option closer to home. The following Illinois locations are visited by the mobile clinic each month: • • • •
Alton Memorial Hospital in Alton, IL Kaskaskia Special Education District 801 in Centralia, IL Heartland Regional Medical Center in Marion, IL Memorial Hospital Shiloh in Shiloh, IL
The 44-foot-long mobile unit operates year-round, Monday through Friday, by appointment only. A physician order is required prior to scheduling an appointment. The unit contains three patient areas: a multipurpose room; a patient intake and hearing device programming area; and a doublewalled sound booth. A wheelchair lift provides full accessibility for all patients. “Memorial Speech Therapy looks forward to a continued partner-
ship with Saint Louis Children’s Hospital Audiology to proudly serve the patients and families of our community," said Lauren Beach, Memorial’s rehabilitation services director. The team aims to identify a hearing problem as soon as possible to provide the best outcomes for children with hearing loss. The mobile hearing and speech clinic provides convenient access to: • • • • • • •
Otoscopy, otoacoustic emission testing and tympanometry Non-sedated screening and diagnostic Auditory Brainstem Response (ABR) measures Behavioral hearing tests via pure-tone audiometry for patients 6 months and older Rehabilitative care for children with hearing loss Fitting and maintenance of hearing aids, bone conduction systems, cochlear implants, FM/DM systems and assistive devices Speech and language evaluation and therapy (including spoken language, American Sign Language, Total Communication and more) Coordinated audiologic care to support physician practices or educational institutions
Parents with questions can call (314) 454-6171 and should discuss this option with their pediatrician before requesting a physician order. Once the physician’s order is placed, the mobile unit will assist the patient with making an appointment. St. Louis Children’s Hospital is partnering with other hospitals, private medical practices, schools, therapists, and state entities within a two-hour radius of St. Louis to provide hearing health support to a wide variety of communities. Call (314) 454-6171 or email audioappt@bjc.org, to learn more about how to become a St. Louis Children’s Hospital mobile hearing and speech clinic partner location.
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