Sonic Innovations, Inc. Teams Up With Utah Department of Health to Give Children Hearing Aids

SALT LAKE CITY, Jan. 19 /PRNewswire/ -- Sonic Innovations, Inc. (Sonic), a Utah-based global provider for hearing care services and solutions, is partnering with the Utah Department of Health, Hearing Speech and Vision Services (HSVS) and the Utah Newborn Hearing Screening Advisory Committee to help children with hearing loss. The program, entitled Sonic Kids, will provide two hearing aids per month to Utah children at no cost to their families.

The first recipient of the Sonic Kids program is eight-year-old Kingsly Nana Fabu.  He received the initial fitting on Tuesday, Jan. 19 at the Children with Special Health Care Needs Bureau located in the Utah Department of Health building at 44 Mario Capecchi Dr. (Medical Dr.) in Salt Lake City.  Kingsly received a pair of Sonic Velocity 24 BTE (behind the ear) hearing aids.  These are the premium aids in the Velocity line of products suited for patients who are constantly in challenging listening environments that typically include background noise.

"Sonic Innovations is proud to be part of such a worthy project. Children's hearing loss can lead to developmental, emotional and communication issues which can often times be corrected with a simple hearing aid. I believe that the Sonic Kids project will change the lives of several children in need," says Sonic CEO Sam Westover.

"When the audiologist told me Kingsly was receiving the hearing aids, I was so happy because my son will finally be able to hear better," said Aline Nana Fabu.  "I could not afford hearing aids, so I am very excited they will help my child. As a mother, you want your son to hear you.  Now he will hear better in school and at home.  I am very glad."

Applicants for the Sonic Kids program may be referred by public and private agencies and audiologists.  Audiologists who fit the hearing aid(s) must agree to the use of the best practice hearing aid fitting protocol endorsed by the Utah Newborn Hearing Screening Advisory Committee. The managing audiologist will work with Sonic to choose appropriate hearing aid(s) for the eligible child.

"This is such a wonderful and exciting opportunity," says Dr. Kelly Dick, chair of the Utah Newborn Hearing Screening Advisory Committee.  "Families of children with hearing loss who are not able to afford hearing aids may apply to receive them through the Sonic Kids program. All applications will be reviewed by a selection team that will determine which children meet the eligibility requirements.  Factors include age and financial need."

ABOUT SONIC INNOVATIONS:  

Sonic Innovations, headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah, has international offices and manufacturing centers across the globe. In conjunction with their distributor partners, Sonic Innovations has provided hearing care services and solutions in more than 25 countries and the company's partners have prescribed more than 1 million Sonic hearing instruments. Sonic Innovations is part of the Otix Global, Inc. family (Nasdaq: OTIX), which can be found online at www.otixglobal.com.

SOURCE Sonic Innovations, Inc.