Kris Hopper, 405-278-1809
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Hearts for Hearing Foundation Receives Grant from Federal Communications Commission to Increase Service Provision to Rural Communities
Oklahoma City, June 19, 2020 – Hearts for Hearing Foundation, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, was awarded $114,123 for laptop computers, mobile hotpots, assistive hearing devices, and network upgrades to provide remote speech pathology and audiology services outside of the clinical setting to pediatric and high-risk patients.
On June 17, 2020, the Federal Communications Commission’s Wireline Competition Bureau approved an additional 62 funding applications for the COVID-19 Telehealth Program. Health care providers in both urban and rural areas of the country will use this $23.25 million in funding to provide telehealth services during the coronavirus pandemic. To date, the FCC’s COVID-19 Telehealth Program, which was authorized by the CARES Act, has approved 367 funding applications in 45 states plus Washington, D.C. for a total of $128.23 million in funding.
“The FCC’s funding will significantly increase our impact throughout the state of Oklahoma, especially in rural parts of our state,” said Dr. Robert Wood, Hearts for Hearing Chief of Technology. “We are grateful for resources that will help us ensure that every child with hearing loss has a chance to learn to listen and talk regardless of where he or she lives.”
“It was an honor to advocate for the non-profit sector in Oklahoma who are doing the work to reach those in rural communities. I am pleased to know Hearts of Hearing is among one of the many recipients of the FCC’s COVID-19 Telehealth Program,” said U.S. Senator James Lankford.
Hearts for Hearing is a state-wide organization in Oklahoma that provides the first set of hearing aids to babies and children with hearing loss ages 10 and under at no cost to families across Oklahoma. Hearts for Hearing also provides funding for audiology and specialized speech therapy services that together teach a child who is deaf or hard of hearing to learn to listen and talk like his or her normal hearing peers. In addition to serving children, Hearts for Hearing also provides audiology services for adults.
To learn more about Hearts for Hearing, visit www.heartsforhearing.org.
