News from Marion Downs Hearing Center

Tuesday, April 27, 8:30am-2:30pm

At this no-cost event, deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) high school students will learn about community resources and technology available to them as they transition from high school to emerging adulthood. They will also meet DHH adult role models who have overcome their personal hearing loss obstacles to create successful personal and professional lives for themselves. Students will have the opportunity to interact with peers from other schools, fostering positive relationships with individuals who share the common experience of personal hearing loss.

NEW THIS YEAR

For the first time, this event will be accessible to rural schools in Colorado via teleconferencing! See the Teen Day Registration Packet for more details.

TO REGISTER

Follow this link to download the Teen Day Registration Packet, available on our website.

The deadline to register is April 13, 2010.

Call 720-862-3681 or email us for more information.

MDHC Professional Advisory Committee Member Receives Prestigious EHDI Award

Vickie Thompson, a member of the MDHC Professional Advisory Committee, was named a 2010 winner of the the Antonia Brancia Maxon Award for EHDI Excellence on March 1. The Maxon Award is presented each year at the National Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) Conference to honor an individual or group of people who have made a noteworthy accomplishment in achieving excellence in EHDI programs nationally or in a particular state or region of the country. Vickie has been a member of the MDHC Professional Advisory Committee since its inception in 1996.

(Excerpt of nomination letter written by Dr. Sandra Gabbard, Director of MDHC)

I am pleased to nominate Vickie Thompson, PhD for the 2010 Antonia Brancia Maxon Award for EHDI Excellence on behalf of her colleagues at the Marion Downs Hearing Center and the Colorado Infant Hearing Advisory Board. Vickie has been the EHDI coordinator in Colorado before the official job existed. In 1991 she initiated one of the first universal screening programs in the US at Boulder Community Hospital and became the consultant for the Colorado Department of Health to promote and support Newborn Hearing Screening programs statewide shortly thereafter. She was the Newborn Screening Coordinator at the Marion Downs Hearing Center (MDHC) and has been on the Professional Advisory of the MDHC since 1996.

Vickie's noteworthy accomplishment, which led to the improvement of EHDI programs in Colorado, is her creation of and leadership on the Colorado Infant Hearing Advisory Board. The Board was created under Vickie's leadership in 1998 to implement and sustain effective EHDI systems. Vickie's creativity and vision led to an advisory board concept, which became the model for other states. The members of the Colorado Infant Hearing Advisory Board...credit Vickie's tireless pursuit of excellence, collaboration, and scholarship as the driving force behind Colorado's world-renowned EHDI systems. Colorado consistently meets the EHDI goals set by the Joint Committee for Infant Hearing under Vickie's leadership.

We hope you will join us in recognizing the remarkable accomplishments our EHDI leader Dr. Vicki Thompson.

MDHC Spotlight - Shannon Burns, AuD

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When working when children and their families, Shannon Burns, Audiologist, brings her lightheartedness and humor to the appointments, making the visits fun experiences for everyone. Since joining the MDHC team as a Cochlear Implant Audiologist in November 2007, she has been instrumental in providing outstanding patient care, particularly for children who have received cochlear implants.

Growing up in Cheyenne, WY, Shannon started learning sign language in the third grade and remained intimately involved in the deaf community until she graduated from high school. She always knew she wanted sign language to be a part of her career and discovered Audiology to be a good fit for her skills and aspirations. While completing an internship at Phoenix Children's Hospital in her final months of graduate school at the University of Northern Colorado, Shannon witnessed her first initial cochlear implant activation of a 5 year old boy. She watched the parents become so excited and emotional during the experience and realized then that she wanted to work with children, their families, and specifically with cochlear implants. "I was able to see how much an implant was able to change lives," she reflects fondly.

Shannon shares that the greatest challenge of working with children with cochlear implants is adapting on days when the child is too tired, hungry, or fussy to provide much data or results. She says, "...but that is also what I like about my job. I love that every day is different and every child is unique." Shannon worries for families who are new to hearing loss but finds solace in knowing she can help the child and support the family on their journey.

Shannon loves being a member of the MDHC team. "I work with a great group of people...people who really care about serving patients and their families and about being on the cutting edge in our field." She also enjoys acting as a teacher and mentor to the graduate Audiology students completing their clinic internships, watching them grow and learn in their own careers. When asked what she likes to do in her free time, Shannon jokingly replies, "Free time? What's that??" When not in the clinic, you'll find Shannon playing in the mountains during ski season, hiking, walking the dogs, listening to live music, going to local sporting events, and hanging out with friends and family.

A Family's Personal Journey with Hearing Loss

Family Portrait by
A Captured Moment Photography

When Capri Bellamarie Juliano failed her 2nd newborn hearing screening just days after she was born, that was the moment her mother and father, Jamie and Kevin,instinctively knew something was wrong. Receiving the official diagnosis a few weeks later simply confirmed their fears. At 3 weeks old, Capri was diagnosed with bilateral auditory neuropathy.

Fortunately, Jamie and Kevin were friends with a few people who helped them immediately get set up with key services like CHIP and Envision. Through CHIP, they learned about the Sign Language Program at the Marion Downs Hearing Center and registered themselves, and both sets of grandparents, for beginner's classes. On learning sign language, Jamie commented "...we immediately decided we wanted Capri to learn sign language because it is a visual, consistent strategy for accessing information." At 12 months old, it is hard for the parents to imagine what accomodations Capri will need in the future so they are determined to give her as many tools as they can now.

To understand more about Capri's hearing loss, the Juliano family went through the MDHC Multi-Disciplinary Team Clinic in February. Made up of a wide variety of medical, clinical, and family/consumer support experts, the Multi-Disciplinary Team Clinic spends an entire day with a family to give them information and feedback about what options are available for the patient. "It was a good opportunity for us to get multiple opinions from different people on the same topic," Kevin shares. "I felt like there was at least one person who could answer every single question we had that day," Jamie chimed in.

As a result of the Team Clinic, the family decided to do a trial period with hearing aids to determine how much amplification benefit Capri could receive. When going through the process of ordering Capri's hearing aids, they were disheartened to learn that their health insurance plan would not cover them. "I never doubted that they'd be covered so we were absolutely shocked when Shannon [Burns] told us," said Jamie. Shannon, their MDHC audiologist, has been helping them connect with potential alternative funding sources for Capri's hearing aids.

The Juliano's journey with hearing loss has only just begun yet they feel fortunate to have met so many wonderful, supportive people in the deaf and hard of hearing community. "Capri's diagnoses rallied the family around us and we've never met a single unsupportive person regarding Capri's hearing loss," Kevin and Jamie say. They love participating in the MDHC Sign Language Program and attending family events co-sponsored by the MDHC because they provide opportunities for them to connect with families who have been where they are now. As often as they can, they include their whole family, especially their other two children, Brooklyn, 7 years old, and Atley, 5 years old. They hope their children grow up learning to be more empathetic toward others with hearing loss or disabilities in general. Jamie has been inspired to revisit a career as a sign language interpreter and return to school. Capri is now starting to respond to sign language which makes for a lot of fun interactions for the family. They're excited for Capri's future, whatever it holds for her, and the Marion Downs Hearing Center is committed to supporting the Juliano family every step of the way!

SAVE THE DATE! - June 4, 2010

Marion Downs Hearing Center Foundation
Wine & Chocolate Gala

Wine&Choc2010

Friday, June 4

7pm-10pm

Grant-Humphrey's Mansion

Denver, Colorado

A fundraising event to support the programs and services of the Marion Downs Hearing Center. Attend and help us celebrate the lives we touch and the differences we are making in the deaf and hard of hearing community. Tickets will be $50 per person

(Ticket purchasing information will come in April's Sound Off newsletter)

Consider making a donation to our Silent Auction! We auction off restaurant gift certificates, jewelry, travel vouchers, artwork, etc. Contact us for more information or to make a donation: 720-848-3042 or email mdhc@uch.edu.

Sincerely,
MDHC Staff