Audiologists at Wichita State University have long offered free hearing screenings a couple of times a year at the Evelyn Hendren Cassat Speech-Language-Hearing Clinic.
Now they have a special new benefit for current WSU students, faculty and staff: free hearing evaluations all year long.
The Cassat Speech-Language-Hearing Clinic, overseen by Wichita State’s Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, is extending its screening service to help promote good health and wellness practices on campus.
“We thought this was a way that we could make a difference to fellow Shockers,” said Lara DiLollo, clinic audiologist.
The new benefit joins a campuswide campaign, led by the Heskett Center, to improve employees’ physical health through awareness and new physical activity options.
That effort has resulted in Wichita State being named one of the “top 25 Healthiest Employers of 2011” by the Wichita Business Journal. The university has also been highlighted by the American Heart Association as a “Start! Fit-Friendly Company.”
“It is important to be proactive about our health and wellness, and being aware of our hearing abilities is a part of that,” said DiLollo. “Hearing loss generally occurs very gradually and can begin to affect quality of life long before you realize it.”
10 percent discount
In addition to the free evaluations, students, faculty and staff can also receive a 10 percent discount on the purchase of hearing aids from the clinic, although a hearing aid is not necessarily the end result of any given evaluation. The clinic deals with many types of hearing issues and many methods of addressing them.
DiLollo said that people who should be considering regular hearing evaluations include those listening to loud music, whether recreationally or as music majors/professors; those around loud machinery, aircraft noise or other earsplitting environments; those who are not as young as they used to be; and those who want to be proactive with their health.
That Wichita State students are included in the free screenings along with faculty and staff is testament to the increased risks for teenagers and young adults that have come along with iPods and greater societal noise in general.
Even for those individuals, young or old, who have no concerns about their hearing, having an annual hearing evaluation is a good idea, DiLollo said.
“Obviously, if you have concerns about your hearing, that is the number one reason why you should come in and find out how well you are hearing,” said DiLollo.
The clinic has been serving people in the Wichita area for more than 25 years. It is located at the Eugene M. Hughes Metropolitan Complex, 5015 E. 29th Street. To schedule an appointment or for more information, call 978-3289. A current myWSU ID must be presented at time of appointment.