BY DIANE SMITH
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN
INEZ — A statewide effort to expand hearing care in rural Kentucky arrived in Martin County last month. KY HEARS (Hearing Healthcare Equal Access Reaching Statewide) opened a clinic inside the Martin County Health Department.
KY Hears, launched by the Heuser Hearing Institute, is expanding hearing health care access across Kentucky through mobile and permanent clinics, especially targeting rural and underserved communities. Martin County is the 30th county in which KY HEARS has opened a site since the program began in 2022.
During the grand opening ceremony May 20 in Inez, Heuser Hearing Institute CEO Brett Bachmann thanked Martin County Health Department Director Eric Mills and his staff for the partnership.
“What health departments do is truly God’s work,” Bachmann said. “I know that through you guys we’re going to be able to change the face of hearing in eastern Kentucky and all of Kentucky.”
He shared two important statistics.
“Kentucky is really good at identifying children with hearing loss,” said Bachmann. “We’re ranked No. 1 or 2 in the United States, but those same children rank 51st in graduating from high school.”
He attributed the disparity to a lack of access to hearing healthcare—something KY HEARS intends to fix through hearing screenings, diagnostic tests, balance and vestibular services, hearing aid fittings, connections to vocational rehab and state resources, and other vital care.
Bachmann recounted how the COVID-19 pandemic brought the need to the forefront. The Heuser Hearing Institute, based in Louisville, was told it was not “frontline” and had to fight to stay open. During a Zoom meeting with Louisville officials, Bachmann muted his mic and kept talking.
“And you know how everyone is on Zoom calls,” he said. “They’re like, ‘You’re on mute, you’re on mute,’ and I said, ‘That’s what you’re asking us to do to our patients—people with hearing aids who can’t access their healthcare, who can’t get on telehealth because they can’t hear their doctors.’”
It was a defining moment in which Bachmann was heard. Dialogue began with Gov. Andy Beshear and members of the General Assembly about expanding services and developing a program to address the hearing healthcare gap across the state.
Dr. Ingrid Edwards, clinical director, said Kentucky has good resources for deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals and those with ear-related disorders.
“What we didn’t have was a good vehicle to get the message out there,” she said. “And those resources can only work if you have enough people to provide the care. It’s not only a desert in eastern Kentucky and all of Kentucky outside of Jefferson County—it’s this way across the country. There aren’t enough providers of hearing healthcare at any level, whether medical, therapeutic or educational. [KY HEARS] is the fruition of all of those problems that we set out to solve.”
Edwards emphasized the importance of the ear.
“It’s the third most important part of the body,” she said. “It receives blood from the heart and cerebral spinal fluid from the brain. So the most important things that keep us alive also maintain our quality of life. Before you ever have a heart attack, your ear will ring, you will lose hearing, and you will start to feel fullness in your head. Our ear measures the impact of a head injury so a doctor can determine what to do. Unfortunately, we don’t have enough people with the tools and training to help make healthcare decisions that return people to health more quickly. I’m excited to be able to share that message.”
KY HEARS Director Devon Woodlee said the program conducts hearing screenings, diagnostic hearing tests, vestibular and balance treatments and provides continuity of care. It also offers pediatric services, including hearing and speech screenings in local schools.
“We do screenings for any age child,” Woodlee said. “We are full service. Our motto is ‘Twinkle to Wrinkle.’ We provide full care for every age.”
A mobile clinic stationed outside the health department offers diagnostic testing and hearing aid fittings.
Martin County Health Department Director Eric Mills said the local need is great.
“Many people in this area struggle with hearing,” said Mills. “Before this, you had to go to Lexington for quality care. Now we have not only hearing aids but also help with tinnitus, infections and overall ear health—right here in Martin County.”
The clinic accepts all major insurance and works with vocational rehabilitation programs to help people returning to work obtain hearing aids.
KY HEARS is open to everyone, not just Martin County residents, at 137 Rockcastle Drive on the first and third Wednesdays of each month. The hours are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. To make an appointment, call 1-800-958-9610.
