A California Nonprofit that Supports the Hearing Loss Community
The Maryjane Rees Language, Speech and Hearing Center (MRLSHC) is part of the the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at Sacramento State University. According to Department Chair Robert Pieretti, PhD, the Center has been uniting innovative teaching with cutting-edge research while providing the community with exceptional speech, language, and hearing services for 67 years. MRLSHC has long been a leader in the Sacramento region. Early examples were establishing a Master of Arts (MA) in Audiology degree in 1970, and becoming one of the very few facilities in the area to offer Central Auditory Processing (CAP) assessment a few years later.By the end of summer, 2020, the department plans to welcome its inaugural cohort to the new Doctor of Audiology (AuD) program and begin construction on a long awaited 6,000 square foot addition to the clinic, adding classroom, patient and conference space.MJRLSHC Director Jeannette Wilson Reiff, MS, summed up staff and student enthusiasm for the upcoming changes, “It is with great pride and excitement that we welcome the addition of an AuD program to our department along with its associated expanded clinical services for audiology in our Center. We are thrilled to soon be able to provide comprehensive audiological services with the same high standard of excellence to our community members that has always defined us.”In 2007, when the AuD credential was created, requirements for the MA in Audiology were changed and the Sacramento State program was forced to close. Program development for an AuD in the California State University system began in 2016 with the signing of AB 2317, authorizing the CSU to grant the AuD degree. Sacramento State was one of four campuses selected to propose a program.
In 2018, Sacramento State President Robert S. Nelsen outlined a vision to deepen and strengthen the university’s engagement with the community by transforming the campus into an “anchor university.” Adding this new degree resonates with that initiative. Providing a state-of-the-art clinical education to students enrolled in academic programs is a top priority. At the same time, the Audiology Clinic provides critical services to the community on a donations-only basis. Both have long since outgrown the available space. Management and staff are committed to increasing the accessibility of services in the Sacramento region. The new facilities will provide space and equipment for new diagnostic tools. One of these will help people who have vestibular complaints, also known as problems with balance. Basic testing is done with a device called a rotary chair. Today, only two facilities north of the Bay Area offer it, but many patients do not qualify for services through either provider. A long drive to have the test is particularly difficult for many with vestibular complaints.
On the academic side, in order to address situations such as these, as well as to reduce unnecessary in-person visits, students will receive tele-audiology experience by rotating through a triage clinic conducted through video conferencing.
Directing the new AuD program is Laura Gaeta, PhD, and directing patient care at the Audiology clinic is Jane Grabowski, AuD. Although the COVID-19 pandemic has forced closure of most campus buildings and facilities at Sacramento State, the enlarged MRLSHC is scheduled to be completed and ready to provide services in summer, 2021.
This article was originally published in The Hearing Loss Californian, Summer 2020
Maryjane Rees Language, Speech and Hearing Center
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