UNC Health Rockingham to Welcome Health Mobile Hearing and Speech Clinic
UNC Health’s ‘Clinic on wheels’ offers important tests and services for children, especially in rural areas
EDEN, N.C. – July 29, 2024 – UNC Health Rockingham has partnered with UNC’s Otolaryngology Mobile Speech and Hearing Clinic to ensure important hearing tests and speech assessments are available to children in Rockingham County. On Thursday, August 27, the mobile clinic will be onsite for the first of its monthly visits with two available exam spaces inside the unit. Appointments are required and may be made through a referring physician.
The goal of the Otolaryngology Mobile Speech and Hearing Clinic is to ensure that all children have access to critical diagnostic audiology and speech language pathology services. The clinic will focus on reaching children in rural areas and vulnerable populations.
“UNC Health is proud to provide important hearing and speech services for children across North Carolina,” said Dr. Wendell G. Yarbrough, Chair of the Department of Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery at UNC School of Medicine. “This ‘clinic on wheels’ is another way we’re working to improve access and care for all North Carolinians.”
Hearing loss impacts up to 3 out of every 1,000 children with potentially devasting effects on a child’s communication skills and educational development. Children living in rural areas experience more pronounced negative health and developmental consequences related to hearing loss because of limited access to care.
Like many health conditions early treatment for hearing loss, including specialized testing after a failed newborn screening, is vital. Yet there is limited availability of this testing by those qualified to treat children in rural areas, which puts this population of children at a significant disadvantage.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 35.1 percent of children born in North Carolina in 2021 who failed their newborn hearing screening were lost to follow up or could not be reached. A comprehensive diagnostic evaluation with a pediatric audiologist is crucial to timely care following a failed hearing screening. This staggering statistic places North Carolina in the bottom half of all states securing diagnostic testing needed after a failed newborn hearing screen.
“Having the Mobile Speech and Hearing Clinic in Eden will provide more accessible care for our families and help babies meet important developmental milestones,” said Carla Ann Eanes, manager of UNC Health Rockingham’s Birthing Center. “We look forward to partnering with our community providers and health organizations like the Rockingham County Student Health Centers to better serve our children.”
UNC Hospitals Audiology are partnering with UNC Faculty Physicians to staff the unit. UNC Health Rockingham is working with this team to provide parking and facility access, as well as serving as a patient referral resource for the unit. Community providers may also refer patients to the clinic.
To access referral information or to learn more about the Mobile Speech and Hearing Clinic, visit https://www.med.unc.edu/ent/services/mobile-hearing-speech-clinic/.
UNC Health Rockingham is a nonprofit, 108-bed community hospital preserving excellent, compassionate and trusted care where it is needed most: close to home. As a cornerstone in Eden, N.C., and a major employer, UNC Health Rockingham serves people throughout Rockingham County and in neighboring Southern Virginia areas. In addition to inpatient, outpatient, surgical and emergency care, the hospital offers diagnostic and treatment services, provide screenings and tests and lead wellness initiatives. More information about UNC Health Rockingham may be found at uncrockingham.org.
