Can You Hear Me Now?!?
By Betty Bedner
August 29 - September 4 is Hearing Aid Awareness Week. If you or someone you know has difficulty hearing and are in need of a hearing aid, but simply cannot afford one, there is help. Assistance is available through manufacturer gifts, hearing care providers in your area, and donors across the U.S. The local hearing health providers receive no money for their work. The program that allows for the gifts of hearing is the HEAR NOW Foundation. It was founded to provide hearing aids to those with very limited financial resources. They take into consideration the asset levels when determining eligibility.
The client is responsible for finding a hearing healthcare professional in their area that is willing to work with them and HEAR NOW. You fill out and send in the completed application. There is a five-week wait, then you may call to check your status.
There is a $60 non-refundable application-processing fee for each hearing aid that is applied for. Income guidelines are provided with the application. It does not include the cost of batteries and only provides a one-year warranty. Recipients can purchse their own extended warranty. The clients are also responsible for the evaluation/assessment by the healthcare provider. The client must have no other way to pay for or to obtain a hearing aid.
To obtain information regarding this program, call Northwest Health Connections at 728-9400 and ask for Betty Bedner, or email Betty at bbedner@northwesthc.org.
| Staff: Barb Conniff, CEO AE: bconniff@aemhmr.org Joanne Cook, HCQU Director: jcook@northwesthc.org Darcee Dunkle, Client Services Coordinator: ddunkle@northwesthc.org Betty Bedner, Health Specialist: bbedner@northwesthc.org Bonnie Jewell, Health Specialist: bjewell@northwesthc.org Amy Tobolski, Behavior Health Specialist: astobolski@northwesthc.org Darryl Bergstrom, MIS Director: dbergstrom@northwesthc.org Lynn Carnahan, Training Coordinator: lcarnahan@northwesthc.org Brenda Brien, Editor and Office Assistant: bbrien@northwesthc.org |