CHCS Perspectives Summer/Fall 2013

PERSPECTIVES • SUMMER-FALL 2013 – Page 24 S pecial Olympics has shown the world that determined athletes can overcome a wide range of intellectual dis- abilities to compete in their favorite sporting events. Un- fortunately, many of these athletes have undiagnosed and untreated health issues ranging from hearing loss to eye prob- lems and chronic pain. The Special Olympics Healthy Athletes program aims to change that by providing free screenings and follow-up care to this underserved population. This year, Healthy Athletes began offering community-based services at the Lucanus Developmental Center in Hollywood, Florida, which is the world’s first freestanding clinic specifically designed for athletes with intellectual disabilities. Faculty mem- bers and students from NSU’s Health Professions Division are collaborating with the center to provide quality health care. “The clinic provides easy, free access to hearing, dental, po- diatry, optometry, and fitness services,” said Jackie M. Davie, Ph.D., a CHCS associate professor of audiology in Davie who serves as the Healthy Hearing clinical coordinator for Special Olympics Florida. “Many of our patients are their own guardians and must look after their own health. We’re trying to make their lives easier by providing health services they need for free, in their home community, and under one roof.” For 15 years, the Special Olympics Healthy Athletes pro- gram has stepped up to fill a void in health services for intel- lectually disabled athletes. Screenings have traditionally been held at Special Olympics events around the world. Thanks to a donation of $12 million by U.S. businessman and philanthro- pist Tom Golisano, that effort is now expanding to permanent clinics like the one in Hollywood. The idea is to provide intel- lectually disabled athletes with steady, community-based health services. In addition to helping the athletes, this provides a unique opportunity for student volunteers. “It’s a great experience to meet such extraordinary people in the health care field—people who are devoted to helping special needs athletes,” said Julia Fahrney, a Healthy Hearing volunteer and NSU student doctor of audiology. Fahrney com- pleted more than a dozen hearing screenings during her last shift at the Healthy Athletes clinic. Access to hearing health services is critical in the special- needs population, considering that many developmental syn- dromes are accompanied by progressive hearing loss. One of the goals of the Healthy Hearing program is to spread aware- ness of this fact among audiologists and families of people with special needs. “The incidence of hearing loss among the intellectually dis- abled is similar to what you find in people in their 70s,” said Dr. Davie. In the general population, only 2 to 10 percent of people are referred for further evaluation after a hearing screening. Among people with special needs, 40 to 50 percent do not pass their hearing screening. Of those, about half have ear canals blocked by wax, while the other half have significant and permanent hearing loss. Healthy Hearing volunteers have performed more than 40,000 hearing screenings in 80 countries, and the program continues to grow. Athletes who are diagnosed with permanent hearing loss can also get free hearing aids through the program. Phonak and the Hear the World Foundation have donated more than 2,000 hearing aids to the cause to date. “Programs like this reaffirm that I made the right decision to go into the field of audiology,” said Ryan Malkiewicz, pres- ident of NSU’s Student Academy of Audiology. “You get into this profession to help people. When you volunteer with Healthy Hearing, you know you are helping people, and they appreciate what you are doing.” “It’s revitalizing,” agreed Dr. Davie. Her hope is that Healthy Athletes will develop permanent clinics in most major cities throughout the United States. This will not only provide an underserved population with the care they need; it will also enable more clinicians and students to experience the rewards of helping special-needs athletes. By Sherry Rauh, M.A., Class of 2015 Doctor of Audiology Student SPECIAL CARE FOR SPECIAL ATHLETES NSU Faculty Members and Students Volunteer at New Clinic for the Intellectually Disabled Jackie Davie, Ph.D., and Sarah Wakefield, Au.D., with class of 2016 students Jessica Soccio and Lachelle Lazarusas as they fit a patient with amplification.