Hearing First shares the continued efforts of
the national awareness campaign to educate expectant moms on the
importance of newborn hearing and next steps after failed
screening
PHILADELPHIA, May 9, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Hearing First,
an organization dedicated to supporting families and professionals
so that children who are deaf or hard of hearing have the
opportunity to learn to listen, talk, read, and thrive, shared the
latest report from the Starts Hear awareness campaign. Starts Hear
is a public health awareness campaign to inform expectant parents
about the importance of the newborn hearing screening (NHS) and to
act quickly in the event of a failed screening.
The Starts Hear campaign seeks to
reverse the trend of lack of follow-up after a failed newborn
hearing screening.
Launched in February 2021, the
campaign seeks to reverse the trend of lack of follow-up and
delayed care after a failed NHS. By educating and empowering
expectant parents about newborn hearing health and early brain
development, the campaign equips parents to take immediate action.
For the past three years, the Starts Hear Campaign has effectively
increased awareness, as more new and expectant parents became aware
of the newborn hearing screening (NHS), why hearing is important,
and what to do following a failed NHS.
"We want every mom-to-be to know the importance of hearing for
their baby's brain development and act urgently so their little one
can benefit from all the sounds of speech, including hearing little
lullabies, books read aloud, and even 'I love you' from their
parents," said Dr. Teresa Caraway,
PhD, CCC-SLP, LSLS Cert. AVT, CEO, Oberkotter Foundation.
Year three campaign results showed increased engagement,
exceeding benchmarks from the previous two years. Highlights from
the campaign's first three years include:
- 690M total ad views
- 155M video views, totaling
84K hours of watch time
- 4.1M emails sent to remind moms
about the NHS and next steps after a failed screening
Based on today's science and research, the future is bright for
children who are deaf or hard of hearing. Listening and Spoken
Language (LSL) outcomes are not only possible, but probable, with
early diagnosis, amplification, and intervention. By bringing
awareness to parents before their baby arrives, the Starts Hear
campaign is helping move the needle and shifting what the early
stages of the hearing loss journey look like for families.
Continuing the success from its first three years, the campaign
will go even further in its fourth year to reach expectant parents
to raise awareness about the importance of newborn hearing to
reduce lack of follow-up and delayed care.
To learn more about the Starts Hear campaign and download the
Year Three Report, visit
hearingfirst.org/starts-hear-awareness-campaign.
About Hearing First
Hearing First, an initiative of
the Oberkotter Foundation, helps caring adults provide infants and
toddlers who are deaf or hard of hearing with the same listening,
spoken language, and literacy opportunities as their hearing peers
through Listening and Spoken Language (LSL). Hearing First offers
free educational resources and online learning experiences for
families of children with hearing loss and professionals who seek
to advance their LSL knowledge and understanding. With two free
online communities, the Family Support Community and Professional
Learning Community, Hearing First also helps members connect with
other adults who share their same experience. The Oberkotter
Foundation is a private foundation supporting opportunities for
children who are deaf or hard of hearing to learn to listen and
talk for nearly 40 years.
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SOURCE Hearing First