01/12/18 

HAYS, Kan. – The first free hearing screening of the semester to be held in western Kansas by Fort Hays State University graduate students will be offered in Norton.
 
The screening will be from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Friday, Feb. 2, at the Almena State Bank, Norton Branch, 302 E. Holme Street, Norton.
 
“The FHSU Speech-Language Hearing Clinic is continuing into its second semester of its second year of providing hearing screenings sponsored by a grant from the Kansas Masonic Foundation,” said Marcy Beougher, speech-language pathologist and an instructor in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders.
 
The grant will provide numerous opportunities for older adults in western Kansas, and in some areas of eastern Colorado and southern Nebraska, to receive important health screening services that are currently scarce or difficult to access.

“This fall we had two successful screenings in St. Francis and Ulysses,” said Beougher. “Through these community screenings hosted by active Masonic lodges, we are trying to reach individuals who likely would not have access to a free hearing screening.”
 
The Norton screening will be hosted by the Naphtali Lodge No. 310 of Almena and provided by graduate students from the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders under the supervision of an FHSU Herndon Clinic instructor.
 
Appointments may be scheduled ahead of time, but walk-ins will be welcomed on a first-come, first-served basis. Each site will have four stations, with each screening lasting approximately 15-20 minutes. Information about hearing loss and follow-up services available will be shared during the screenings. Free educational materials and earplugs will be provided by the Kansas Masons.
 
“The students are gaining excellent clinical experience as well as mandatory clinical hours from each screening,” she said. “We are grateful to the Kansas Masons for their support of this quality program.”
 
The second screening of the semester will be Feb. 16 in Hoxie.
 
To schedule an appointment for the Norton screening, contact Tammy Steinmetz at 785-669-2486 or tammy@almenastatebank.net.
 
For more information, visit fhsu.edu/herndon-clinic/ or contact the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at 785-628-5366.