DGMC offers better speech and hearing

  • Published
  • By Maj. Ada Haber-Perez and Mrs. Susan Abbott-Grotrian
  • 60th Aerospace Medicine Squadron and Surgical Operations Squadron
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  Approximately 21 million Americans from infants to adults suffer from hearing loss. Hearing loss often goes undiagnosed for years until a person realizes they are missing many sounds of daily life.

With May designated as Better Speech and Hearing Month, the members of David Grant USAF Medical Center want to remind everyone that early intervention is important for both the young and old.

"Hearing is important for infants and children to develop speech and do well academically," explained Capt. Courtney Harper, 60th Aerospace Medicine Squadron audiologist at DGMC. "Many children with hearing impairment lose valuable time because family, friends and medical specialists sometimes adopt a 'wait-and-see' attitude."

According to Captain Harper, an audiologist is a health professional with a master's or doctoral degree, certified to evaluate an individual's hearing ability and provide rehabilitation if it is needed.

Speech-language pathologists are the professionals who treat all types of speech, language, swallowing and related disorders. Both audiologists and speech-language pathologists are certified by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.

DGMC offers audiology services to patients both young and old. The audiology department consists of two active-duty, ASHA-certified audiologists who serve active duty members, their dependents, as well as retirees.

Additionally, DGMC's audiology clinic provides hearing aids at no cost to active duty members. In the neighboring speech-language clinic, speech and swallow services also are provided for active duty military members, retirees and their adult dependents by a ASHA-certified speech-pathologist. Children are referred to their schools or to community speech clinics.

For more information about ears, hearing or speech, contact your primary care provider for a referral to DGMC's audiology clinic at 423-7163, or the speech-language clinic at 423-7816.