It was a multicultural May for the department of speech and audiology services at Gouverneur Healthcare Services in New York City. On May 10, the department held its first annual "Celebrate Better Hearing and Speech Month" children’s health fair. The event raised public awareness and offered free speech and language screenings to children from a widely diverse community.
"We translated flyers into Chinese and Spanish and distributed them to HeadStart centers, preschools, elementary schools, and throughout the pediatric department in our facility. It was a real team effort," said Lori Sampson-Baum, assistant director of speech and audiology services at Gouverneur.
Screenings by certified speech-language pathologists—offered in English, Spanish, Mandarin, and Cantonese—allowed children the opportunity to receive speech and language evaluations in their native language. Audiologists were on hand to provide information on hearing loss.
Gouverneur’s pediatric department helped to coordinate the event, which drew teachers, parents, dental representatives, pediatricians, and insurance providers.
Children received free storybooks from the facility’s Reach Out and Read program, and volunteers read stories to small groups. ASHA brochures and toothbrushes were distributed, and insurance providers were on hand to enroll children. Winners of a free raffle took home an array of BHSM items, and the fair culminated in a magic show.
"Parents are now more aware of the early signs of speech and language delays and can now explore receiving a complete evaluation for their child," said Sampson-Baum.
As a result of the collaboration, many children were screened and about 75% were flagged for possible speech and language difficulties. Full assessments will follow, she said.