UC Speech and Hearing Clinic offers free audiology evaluations and much more
UC clinic is ‘very professional, very thorough and very honest.’
Did you know: One in every three adults between 61 and 70 years of age suffers from hearing loss? The ratio jumps to four in every five for those over 85, according to the American Academy of Family Physicians.
Knowing these statistics, one might consider getting a free audiology evaluation at the University of Cincinnati Speech and Hearing Clinic, offered Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, year-round.
Jessica Prewitt
“We do a case history, look in their ears and see how their eardrums are moving, and then complete a hearing test,” says assistant professor Jessica Prewitt, an audiologist who is one of four faculty supervisors at the clinic. “If you feel like you aren’t hearing very well or are missing certain things—or just want a baseline—those are all really great reasons to get evaluated.”
Wally and Sheila Patton didn’t arrive at the clinic for the free services, but because of Prewitt, says Sheila. Wally saw Prewitt before she moved to UC to teach the next generation of audiologists.
“We had to find her,” says Sheila, who goes along with her husband to his appointments. “She’s very professional, very thorough and very honest. We want to stick with her because she's so good about making sure Wally is getting the best hearing experience he can. We have recommended the clinic to several of our friends.”
Patton says the UC audiology students—all working on doctoral-level degrees in audiology—keep them coming back, too.
UC has provided communications services for decades
UC’s Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders has provided speech, language and hearing services to the Greater Cincinnati community for over 40 years.
Established several years ago, the Speech and Hearing Clinic relocated to the new $61 million Health Sciences Building in 2019. Services there range from basic screenings to highly specialized treatment of complex conditions such as auditory processing disorders, language and literacy disorders, neurogenic disorders (aphasia, apraxia and dysarthria), augmentative communication and aural rehabilitation.
The UC Speech & Hearing Clinic is located in the Health Sciences Building
The clinic hosts support groups and bootcamps for parents, along with Social Skills Hours and Fluency Fridays, too.
UC faculty are experts in their fields and bring this knowledge to the assessment and treatment of communication disorders within the clinic. They clinic is overseen by director Amber Meadows-Yusko, who makes sure services go hand in hand. For instance, when someone comes in for speech therapy, they are encouraged to get the free hearing test, too.
Prewitt, who joined UC in 2021, first got interested in communication sciences growing up with a brother who has Down syndrome. Initially she thought she would become a speech therapist until she got to help someone hear better.
“There’s a lot of satisfaction in being able to give those sounds back to people,” Prewitt says. The clinic helps clients get fitted for the right hearing aids and keep them updated, Prewitt says. The clinic does not bill insurance, but Prewitt says their services and the clinic’s fees for hearing aids are competitive.
“Most of the time insurance is not so great covering hearing aids anyway,” Prewitt says.
Several big box stores now sell hearing aids, but they do not offer the one-on-one attention and counseling our clinic offer.
Jessica Prewitt Audiologist
UC students apply what they’re learning in the clinic
Here’s another stat: Employment of audiologists is projected to grow 16% between 2020 and 2030, much faster than the average for all occupations.
UC’s top-ranked Doctor of Audiology graduate program involves an in-depth study of the disorders of hearing and balance, coupled with practicum experiences—such as working at the Speech and Hearing Clinic, says Natalie Brenner, who will graduate in 2024 with a clinical doctorate of audiology.
Natalie Brenner
From Day One UC felt like a good place to be, says Brenner, who earned a bachelor’s degree in speech pathology and audiology from Miami University before electing to continue her education at UC.
“All of the UC faculty have been so welcoming,” Brenner says. “They're not just here to teach and be our professors—they’re here to guide us through this whole journey. If I pulled aside any single one of the professors that I've had, I know they would either direct me in the right direction or help me work through it.”
Brenner worked in the clinic last year and she found it challenging and satisfying to put what she was learning into action and test her knowledge.
“Everyone who came in was so accepting of us students,” Brenner says. “Sometimes, as a student, I have to take a step back and think about things a little bit longer than someone who has worked in the field for several years. One patient, in particular, always brought his wife, he was always so upbeat and asked us about how things were going and our classes.”
That was Wally Patton and his wife Sheila—who said they’ve enjoyed all the students they’ve worked with.
Brenner said the experience of following somebody all the way through—giving them the tools or equipment needed to hear better is an indescribable feeling.
“You feel like you’re making the person’s life easier, allowing them to life to the fullest.”
Natalie Brenner AuD student
Anyone interested in learning more about the clinic is invited to visit the website, call 513-558-8503 or email csdclinic@uc.edu.
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