RCMC, CEBU CITY HEALTH SET KIDS’ HEARING SCREENING

A Thousand Hearing, Making a Deaf-erence project will have five phases that will cover screening, confirmation of diagnosis, hearing aid fitting, speech therapy, transition to regular school and integration in a regular classroom

Six to eight newborns in every thousand will be diagnosed with deafness in every thousand live births in the Philippines.

The signing of the Newborn Hearing Screening and Intervention Act in 2009 provides hope for those born with a hearing disability. However, implementation is scarce.

This prompted the Rotary Club of Metro Cebu (RCMC) to launch the project, “A Thousand Hearing, Making A Deaf-erence” on Oct. 23 at 2 p.m. at the conference room of the Cebu City Health Office.

The Universal Newborn Hearing Screening Program and Early Intervention Act (Republic Act 9709) will have a life- changing benefit for a child diagnosed with deafness.

This year, with the thousand reg- istry cards to start off the newborns of Barangays Talamban, Mabolo, Carreta, Guadalupe and Inayawan will be the beneficiaries.

The project has five phases that will cover screening, confirmation of diagnosis, hearing aid fitting, speech therapy, transition to regular school and integration in a regular classroom. This will be the first full implementation of the law in Cebu and the whole Philippines.

This hearing project is in line with the Rotary International’s area of focus, namely, disease prevention, maternal and child care as well as basic education and literacy.

Dr. Marjorie Anne Bernardo, RCMC president 2017-2018, said she is excited that the project will go into full swing.

The hearing project chairman, Mary Ann Soria, who is a member of RCMC, will head and supervise the implementation, together with the director for community service Dr. Wyben Briones.

The event is in partnership with the Cebu City Health Office under Dr. Alma P Corpin, Abby Atonducan as the project social worker volunteer, the Rotaractors of RCMC, Gruppo Hearing with First Hand Foundation and M&J Hear Well Live Well Audiology.

This multi-organizational partnership enables Rotary to make a lasting impact in making a difference in the lives of people in the community.

The project will enable these deaf kids to grow in a world where hearing is possible and communication is attainable.

Republic Act 9709 mandates every newborn to be screened for hearing and diagnosed and have access to early intervention when appropriate.