10/15/19
HAYS, Kan. – Plainville will be the last of three free hearing screenings, funded by the Kansas Masons, offered again this fall in western Kansas communities by Fort Hays State University.

“The FHSU Herndon Clinic in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders is very fortunate to have received a large grant from the Kansas Masons to support adult speech, language and hearing services in Western Kansas,” said Marcy Beougher, speech-language pathologist and an instructor in the department.

The grant is continuing to provide numerous opportunities for individuals of all ages in western Kansas to receive important health screening services that are currently scarce or difficult to access.

“With Mason support and funding, we have visited 20 different communities in two and a half years and have screened over 700 people,” said Beougher. “We are thankful to the Masons for the opportunity to learn more about the hearing needs in Western Kansas and to make necessary and important medical and audiological referrals. We are also very grateful for the clinical hours these screenings provide for our graduate students.”

The screening will be from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday, Oct. 25, at the Paradise Masonic Lodge No. 290, 109 S. Main St., Plainville.

Appointments are encouraged to 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 minutes. Results, follow-up information and ear plugs will also be provided. There will be no hearing aid sales.

Screenings are provided by graduate students from the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders. Beougher will organize the screenings.

Screenings will also be held in McPherson, Garden City and Liberal in the spring 2020 semester. Times, dates and actual screening sites will be announced later.

“We are incredibly thankful for the financial support from the Kansas Masonic Foundation, which has helped us take this important free service to individuals in numerous locations in Kansas,” said Beougher.

“The Masons at every lodge we have visited have been so accommodating and eager to do anything they could to help us promote and set up these clinics,” she added.

To schedule an appointment for the Plainville screening, contact Bruce Brooksher at 785-312-0256 or bwb.rocks@gmail.com

For more information, visit fhsu.edu/herndon-clinic/ or contact the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at 785-628-5366.