Cochlear Americas Donates Batteries and Funding to Hurricane Katrina Relief Effort

    DENVER, Sept. 9 /PRNewswire/ -- Cochlear Americas is reaching out to
 victims of Hurricane Katrina by donating batteries for cochlear implant sound
 processors.  The company also is showing support during this terrible tragedy
 by matching donations made by Cochlear employees and customers to
 organizations assisting with providing basic life necessities to these
 victims.
     Cochlear Americas also is working with audiology clinics to coordinate
 programming services for those displaced by the hurricane.
     Cochlear Americas is inviting cochlear implant wearers affected by
 Hurricane Katrina to call 800-458-4999 to receive a three-month supply of
 batteries.  Wearers will be asked to provide the serial number from their
 sound processor along with their name and an address where they can receive
 the batteries.  The company is also working with the national Self Help for
 Hard of Hearing People (SHHH) to provide 3,000 batteries for distribution
 through SHHH's support network, Hear2Care.
     "To people who wear hearing aids or cochlear implants, being without
 batteries is like being cut off from the world," says Chris Smith, President
 of Cochlear Americas.  "Of course, first concerns for the victims are life
 sustaining supplies and safety, but we are doing everything we can think of to
 help.  We know how important these batteries are to those who depend on them
 to communicate."
 
     About Cochlear Implants
     Cochlear implants are a technological miracle for adults and children with
 severe to profound hearing loss.  Cochlear implants provide useful hearing and
 improved communication abilities to those who receive little or no benefit
 from hearing aids.  They are the only medical device designed to restore one
 of the five key senses.
 
     About Cochlear(TM) Americas
     Since launching the world's first cochlear implant system more than 20
 years ago, Cochlear Limited and its US headquarters, Cochlear Americas, have
 brought the miracle of sound to more than 65,000 hearing-impaired individuals
 across the globe.  Cochlear's state-of-the-art technologies, based on
 extensive research and development at preeminent academic institutions,
 restore the ability to hear sound and understand speech - enhancing both
 learning capabilities and quality of life for those with severe to profound
 hearing loss.  Cochlear's promise "Hear Now. And Always" reflects its
 dedication to durability and service.  For more information about Cochlear's
 products, and Cochlear's hurricane relief efforts, call 800-458-4999 or visit
 http://www.cochlear.com.
 
 

SOURCE  Cochlear Americas