Dr. Sarah Curtis, of Sounds of Life Hearing, provides hearing aid services to those who are less fortunate, but she needs your help
By Sarah Curtis, Au.D., founder of Sounds of Life Hearing
Sarah Curtis, Au.D., opened her audiology practice, Sounds of Life Hearing, in 2018 with the goal of providing residents of Lake, Geauga and surrounding counties with quality audiology services regardless of income. As a provider of both adult and pediatric services, Dr. Curtis credentialed with all of Ohio’s Medicaid plans in order to serve the needs of everyone, regardless of Medicaid’s often poor reimbursement policies.
“There are very few Medicaid providers in this area and almost no one will see Medicaid patients for hearing aids,” says Dr. Curtis. “In fact, the major hospital systems refer their Medicaid patients to us at Sounds of Life because they will not accept Medicaid’s low and inconsistent reimbursement payments.”
As a for-profit business, Dr. Curtis soon understood the administrative and financial implications of choosing to provide for the needs of Medicaid patients, yet she continues to make that choice today. Through this service to her patients, Dr. Curtis also discovered that there is a subset of patients who, although above the income limits for Medicaid, cannot afford even modestly priced hearing aids. Dr. Curtis sought alternative options for these patients.
“Non-profit work has always been a part of my life,” says Dr. Curtis. “I completed hundreds of hours of volunteer work in high school and college and served with the AmeriCorps VISTA program for one year before graduate school. Through my audiology residency at the Cleveland VA Hospital, my first job was at a non-profit speech and hearing center serving low-income patients, then working at University Hospitals where I saw many Medicaid patients, opened my eyes to the needs of those suffering with hearing loss but can’t afford hearing aids. I wanted to help them and I continue that work today in private practice.”
Dr. Curtis partnered with the Entheos Audiology Cooperative and their non-profit organization, Hearing the Call, in 2020 with the hopes of bringing her own affiliate project to Northeast Ohio. In late 2021, that became a reality when Dr. Curtis started Hearing the Call-Northeast Ohio. The project requires local funding and 92% of donations go directly back to the community.
To qualify for the program, patients must meet certain income criteria found at HearingTheCall.org/neohio. Patients are charged maximally $275 for the initial fitting of hearing aids and $10 per visit thereafter.
“Recipients also must commit to at least 10 hours of community service,” says Dr. Curtis. “It’s the ‘Circle of Giving.’ The community funds the program, the program provides the patient’s treatment, and the patient pays it forward in service to others.”
Since inception, Hearing the Call Northeast Ohio has received about $1,500 in donations.
“My colleague, Dr. Cara Donovan, and our team have fit nine patients with hearing aids and each patient costs about $1,000 per year in hourly fees to break even,” says Dr. Curtis. “We have a goal to fit at least 20 patients per year which, will require raising at least $20,000.”
Join Sounds of Life Hearing on Wednesday, December 7, at the Generations Event and Reception Center in Chesterland for a fundraiser to benefit Hearing the Call Northeast Ohio. Tickets are $75 and include a catered dinner and auction. Find a link to purchase tickets and sponsorship opportunities at SoundsOfLifeHC.com or donate at HearingTheCall.org/neohio.
If you or someone you know could benefit from Hearing the Call Northeast Ohio, contact Sounds of Life Hearing or visit HearingTheCall.org/neohio. Sounds of Life Hearing Center is located at 8007 Auburn Road, Suite 1, in Mentor. For more information call 440-579-4085 or check the website SoundsOfLifeHC.com.
Join Sounds of Life Hearing on Wednesday, December 7, at the Generations Event and Reception Center in Chesterland for a fundraiser to benefit Hearing the Call Northeast Ohio. Tickets are $75 and include a catered dinner and auction. Find a link to purchase tickets and sponsorship opportunities at SoundsOfLifeHC.com.