KALAMAZOO, Mich.—The Carls Foundation of Detroit has granted $70,000 to Western Michigan University’s Charles Van Riper Language, Speech and Hearing Clinic to support two years of pediatric hearing initiatives.
This funding will be used to bridge the gap to provide children with accessible, comprehensive early diagnostic and rehabilitative services that may otherwise be cost prohibitive. This support will enhance the hearing clinic’s ability to provide earlier diagnostic and hearing rehabilitation services for children who are deaf or hard of hearing. These services will improve access to diagnostic hearing evaluations; hearing aid technology such as hearing aids and cochlear implants; auditory rehabilitation including auditory, speech and language services; and much needed advocacy services.
“Financial contributions like this recent award from the Carls Foundation enable our organization to serve the uninsured or underinsured and provide high quality, high impact, and life changing services to children that may not otherwise be available,” says Dr. Andrea Perez, director of the Unified Clinics.
Around 1-to-3 in 1,000 infants in the United States are born with a detectable level of hearing loss in one or both ears, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Thousands of babies are born deaf or hard of hearing each year in the country. Babies diagnosed early with hearing loss and begin intervention early are more likely to reach their full potential.
ABOUT THE CLINIC
The Charles Van Riper Language, Speech and Hearing Clinic was established in 1936 as one of the nation’s first university speech clinics. The clinic is housed within WMU’s Unified Clinics and operated by the Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences at Western as an integral part of the academic program. The clinic provides services across many areas to meet the community's needs.
ABOUT THE CARLS FOUNDATION
The Carls Foundation has a long legacy of providing vital gifts to Michigan nonprofit organizations, including many in West Michigan. William Carls, a German immigrant who made his fortune in the booming Detroit industrial scene of the 20th century, spent a lifetime giving back to the charities he loved. The mission of the foundation includes:
- Children's welfare including health care facilities and programs, with special emphasis on the prevention and treatment of hearing impairment, and recreational, educational and welfare programs especially for children who are disadvantaged for economic and/or health reasons.
- Preservation of natural areas, open space and historic buildings and areas having special natural beauty or significance in maintaining the country's heritage and historic ideals, through assistance to land trusts and land conservancies and directly related environmental educational programs.
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