Press Releases

Ottawa, April 6, 2009: Carole Willans, National President of the Canadian Hard of Hearing Association (CHHA), is pleased to announce the establishment of the new CHHA National Advisory Committee on Science, Health and Industry (CHHA NAC-SHI). Its role is to provide the CHHA National Board of Directors with advice on relevant and current issues and initiatives related to science, health, and industry.

Dr. André Marcoux, a reputed audiologist and professor at the Department of Audiology and Speech Language Pathology of the University of Ottawa, has been appointed Chairman of this advisory group, primarily composed of hearing health care experts such as otolaryngologists, audiologists, speech language pathologists, and other professional experts in the field of hearing loss.

“At a time when an increasing number of Canadians are experiencing hearing loss and requiring our support, we at CHHA felt the need for the advice of experts to help orient our strategies and actions. We see this as a way to enhance our capacity to serve Canadians who are dealing with hearing loss, especially older adults and seniors”, says Ms. Willans. “We are delighted that Dr. Marcoux has accepted our invitation to chair this committee and lend his expertise to the hard of hearing population of Canada. His involvement in research, academics, industry as well as his knowledge of professional and regulatory matters has made him a key figure in this country when exploring issues related to hearing loss.”

One of the first issues Dr. Marcoux proposes to tackle is related to the accessibility of services, such as hearing assessments, with respect to the public healthcare system of different provinces: “Communication is central to a rich and fulfilled life and hearing plays such an important role in communication. We must insist that the children and adults of this country have ample points of access into the healthcare system and ensure that hearing loss does not go undiagnosed and untreated.” Dr. Marcoux is also proposing a project to involve hard of hearing consumers in recommending certain standards so that devices intended to remediate hearing loss are sold following transparent and ethical guidelines. “I am thrilled to be given the opportunity to work with hard of hearing consumers and assist them in ensuring that political, medical and commercial entities treat them fairly” says Dr. Marcoux.

For more information, contact Karla Wilson at the Canadian Hard of Hearing Association at kwilson@chha.ca or call toll free 1-800-263-8068.

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