May is Better Hearing and Speech Month (BHSM) – a time to raise awareness, knowledge and understanding of the various forms of communication disabilities such as loss of hearing, speech, language and voice. Currently, 1.2 million adults with hearing loss live in North Carolina. That figure is expected to increase to more than 2 million by the year 2030 primarily due to the aging of the general population.

The Division of Services for the Deaf and the Hard of Hearing (DSDHH), and the Division of Public Health’s Children and Youth Branch, Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) program, collaborated to help North Carolinians better understand the impact of hearing loss on people of all ages and to provide customer assistance toward treatment when hearing loss is identified.

The EHDI program is focused on early identification of hearing loss and the timely treatment for identified children. EHDI staff work to build capacity for screening and re-screening infants for hearing loss in all of the state’s birthing facilities.

Since 2000, state law requires hospitals that provide birthing or inpatient neonatal services to physiologically screen each newborn in each ear for the presence of permanent hearing loss before the infant is discharged. Since that year, approximately 1.5 million infants in North Carolina have been screened for hearing loss. North Carolina places above the national average with a consistent screening rate of more than 99 percent of all babies born in the state. 

The program supports children with hearing loss from birth through age 21 while also focusing efforts on educating the public, pregnant women and new parents about the importance of newborn hearing screening, timely follow-up, and the need for further testing. EHDI staff partner with other agencies to increase early childhood screening statewide. As the most frequently occurring congenital condition, undetected and untreated hearing loss in infants and children can negatively impact speech and language acquisition, academic achievement and social and emotional development.

For adults, particularly older adults, hearing loss is the third most chronic condition impacting quality of life, preceded only by heart disease and diabetes. Left untreated, hearing loss proves to be one of the leading causes of physical, mental health, social and economic issues. Recent medical research has also linked hearing loss with dementia and other cognitive disorders, diabetes and falls.

To increase awareness of the impact of hearing loss, these two divisions have planned numerous activities across the state during the month of May. DSDHH staff will participate in regional health fairs, set up informational booths and displays, and provide presentations and in-service trainings to consumers and agencies. Some locations will provide free hearing screenings to help identify potential hearing loss in individuals. Access the list of activities at: http://www.ncdhhs.gov/dsdhh/whatsnew/BHSM_May2014_table.htm.  

For more information on the EHDI program and activities planned for Better Hearing and Speech Month, contact Kathleen Watts, program manager, at (919) 707-5632 or visit the EHDI website at www.ncnewbornhearing.org.

 For more information on hearing loss, resources available in North Carolina, and the Better Hearing and Speech Month activities planned, contact Jeff Mobley, Hard of Hearing services manager, at (919) 874-2239 or visit the DSDHH website at www.ncdhhs.gov/dsdhh and look for the link to the scheduled events.