This page was created to assist our patients, their families, and friends on the news and events pertaining to The Listening Center, our staff and the latest information about cochlear implantation. Keep coming back frequently for updates and important notices.
In the News: Eyeing smaller, faster, smarter ear implants
August 18, 2009
USA Today - A cochlear implant is a small, complex electronic device that helps children and adults with little or no hearing pick up sounds — including human voices, music and environmental noises, says Johns Hopkins cochlear implant surgeon John Niparko. Read the entire article here.
In the News: Johns Hopkins Restores Hearing with Cochlear Implants
April 1, 2009 - A remarkable story with a happy ending!
WMAR-TV (ABC) reports...For Barry Block, this is no ordinary trip to the Listening Center at Johns Hopkins. His audiologist, Ryan Carpenter, is turning on his cochlear implant or the bionic ear he had surgically put in a month ago. To view the full story, click here.
Many CI device manufacturers will reimburse for the cost of these Pneumovax shots:
For patients with Advanced Bionics devices, there is an incentive program for children and adults, which provides reimbursement for vaccinations. Please visit the following website for more information, click this link
For patients with a Nucleus device from Cochlear Corporation you can call 1-800-633-4667 for information regarding reimbursement.
Med El is in the process of creating a program. Their customer service number is 1-888-633-3524.
Advice for Patients with Cochlear Implants: New Information on Meningitis Risk
Issued: October 10, 2007
New Information on Meningitis Risk
* Two cochlear implant patients recently died from infections. Neither one was fully vaccinated. One of these two likely died because of the lack of vaccination.
* A survey of parents of cochlear implanted children showed nearly half of them did not know whether their child had been fully vaccinated.
This Advice for Patients is to remind you of the increased and life-threatening risk of bacterial meningitis in cochlear implant patients and the importance of their being fully vaccinated. To read the full posting click here.
To the Listening Center Patients and their Families
An important letter from The Listening Center pertaining to Pneumovax vaccination. To read the letter in pdf form, please click here
Cochlear implant reintroduces woman to the joys of hearing
FREDERICK -- A row of plush red Elmos sit atop the piano in Denise Portis's living room. They are a reminder of a significant moment in her life.
Walking through a toy store around Christmas, she heard a laugh. It was a sound she recognized from childhood, and it was a sound she heard and recognized without any help. It was the Sesame Street character Elmo! To read more, click here
Living with hearing loss
About 28 million Americans live with hearing loss. As baby boomers continue to age, that number is expected to nearly double by 2030.
Trauma, infection, heredity, aging and exposure to loud sounds can cause hearing loss. It can be sudden or come with aging. According to the Hearing Loss Association of America, most hearing losses develop over a period of 25 to 30 years. - To read more, click here
Former Miss America Gets Miracle Ear Implant?
(WJZ) It's the moment Heather Whitestone McCallum has waited a lifetime for, and it's something most of us take for granted - hearing with both ears
To read more and view the video, click here
Former Miss America Gets Hearing Help - Click here to view the video
To download a pdf file of "The Road to Getting a Cochlear Implant - Cochlear Implant candidacy Process", by Jennifer Yeagle please click here
