Marion Downs Hearing
Center receives donation
The University of Colorado Hospital received a donation from Siemens Hearing
Instruments, Inc. for construction of the Marion Downs Hearing Center for
the deaf and hard of hearing.
The center, which brings together clinical, research, educational, surgical,
support and prevention services for individuals who are deaf and hard of hearing,
is named for the University of Colorado Denver professor emerita,
a world-renowned audiologist who has spent her professional life promoting
services for such individuals. Marion Downs also pioneered the first newborn
hearing screening project in the United States more than 30 years ago.
The Marion Downs Hearing Center works in affiliation with the University of
Colorado Hospital, the University of Colorado at Boulder, and the University of Colorado Denver and partners with the Center for Disease
Control, Health Resources Services Administration, Colorado School for the
Deaf and the Blind, Colorado Department of Health and Environment, Colorado
Department of Education, and Families for Hands & Voices. These multiple
partnerships support planning and programs for the center.
The center was established to blend the perspectives of parents, children,
physicians and researchers to give patients exposure to a variety of communication
methods and programming options. A new building is currently being planned
for the Fitzsimons campus that will encompass all aspects of the Center in
one location. This new facility will be a model for future centers all over
the world.
“We are grateful to Siemens Hearing Instruments for this wonderful donation
to the Marion Downs Hearing Center’s building fund,” said Dennis
Brimhall, University of Colorado Hospital president and CEO. “All donations
that we receive are vital to this project and we cannot thank Siemens enough.”
William Lankenau, president and CEO of Siemens Hearing Instruments said: "We
are proud to assist with the development of the new facility for the Marion
Downs Hearing Center. Their programs and research have not only improved the
quality of life of the individuals with hearing loss, but have advanced our
global knowledge base on infant hearing. We urge others to support the Marion
Downs Hearing Center in its building fundraising efforts and in doing so to
support its important mission for infants and children with hearing loss.”
Hearing loss is the No. 1 birth defect in the United States, and an estimated
28 million Americans are affected with the condition. Fifty percent of adults
over age 65 have some form of hearing loss.
For more information on the Marion Downs Hearing Center, visit the Web site
at www.uch.edu
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