Aurora (March 15, 2005) -The University of Colorado Hospital has 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 at Denver and Health Sciences Center 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 Health Sciences Center 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, please contact Heidi Wilhelm at heidi.wilhelm@uch.edu or 303 724-5255, or visit the Web site at www.uch.edu.
University of Colorado Hospital is the Rocky Mountain region's leading academic tertiary care and referral center, and has been recognized as one of America's best hospitals, according to U.S.News & World Report. Located in Denver and Aurora, Colo., the hospital is part of the University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center campus, one of three campuses in the University of Colorado system.
