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Presbyterian Board of Governors Cochlear Implant Center of Excellence
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Helping you to hear again, or for the first time
At the Presbyterian Board of Governors Cochlear Implant Center of Excellence at GBMC, it is our pleasure to work with children and adults, along with their families and educators as they pursue cochlear implant candidacy testing or need audiologic and rehabilitative services for their current implant. Our multidisciplinary team will work together to determine if a cochlear implant is appropriate for you. We serve individuals with moderate to profound sensorineural hearing loss, in both ears, and individuals with single-sided deafness, during candidacy, surgery, and follow-up. Our goal is to provide comprehensive care for you and your family as well as to work collaboratively with educators and other service providers.
*Note- All surgery now takes place in Physician's Pavilion West at the 'Women's and Outpatient Surgical Center' or the 'Surg Center of Northern Baltimore'.
Our Services
The Cochlear Implant Center at GBMC offers a variety of services encompassing the entire spectrum of care, including:
- Audiological Testing: assess hearing sensitivity in test booth, with and without hearing aids
- Speech Recognition Testing: assess ability to recognize and repeat words and sentences in the presence of quiet and in noise
- Speech and Language Evaluation: assess speech and/or language abilities (as needed)
- Speech and Language Therapy: address voice, articulation, and language disorders
- Aural Rehabilitation Therapy: provide practice with implant in order to improve awareness of environmental sounds and speech understanding
- Ear, Nose and Throat Evaluation: performed by surgeon to determine if cochlear implantation is medically appropriate for you
- Psychological Evaluation: assess cognitive abilities (as needed)
- Counseling regarding cochlear implant technology: choosing device options, discussing patient/parent expectations, ongoing maintenance of the device
- Cochlear implantation surgery: performed on an outpatient basis, usually a 90 minute procedure
- Hearing aid fittings and modifications: maintenance and hearing aid selection
- Impressions: making earmolds for hearing aids
- Mapping of cochlear implant: programming of cochlear implant processor - completed frequently during initial stages of activation and annually thereafter
- Telehealth services are available for your audiology and rehabilitative needs.
Anita L. Dixon
Mary O'Leary Kane, M.A., CCC/SLP
Mary O’Leary Kane, MA, CCC-SLP earned her Bachelor’s degree from Towson State University and her Master’s degree from the University of Northern Colorado. She has been a licensed Speech Language Pathologist and certified through the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) since 1996.
As a member of GBMC’s Cochlear Implant Team, Mary provides aural rehabilitation therapy for children and adults to support listening development, demonstrate best use of CI technology, and track progress of oral communication skills.
Mary has 20 years of specialized experience in a variety of settings, including hospital, private practice and schools. She has contributed to a number of research articles and academic materials related to the field of hearing loss and rehabilitation, and continues to present findings at local and national events.
Mary brings with her an enthusiasm to help children and adults through the cochlear implant process, bringing sound to life in meaningful therapy sessions. Her goal is to educate patients and maximize their use of cochlear implant technology.
Paula Webster
Paula joins the Cochlear Implant Team after serving as part of the GBMC organization for the last 22 years. She is a certified nursing assistant and has been a unit coordinator. For the last 17 years, she served an Emergency Medical Technician for the pediatric emergency room. Paula’s work experience provides her with tremendous counseling and problem-solving skills. Her extensive cochlear implant training will allow her to assist you along your cochlear implant journey. Paula will work alongside you to guide you in device selection, troubleshoot equipment when needed, and educate you to ensure that you get the most from your cochlear implant.
Henry Rodriguez
Henry serves as the Medical Secretary to the Presbyterian Board of Governors Cochlear Implant Center of Excellence at GBMC. He graduated from the University of Baltimore with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Entrepreneurship. He has over 8 years of patient/customer service experience in various industries. He is responsible for providing secretarial support for the department including scheduling appointments, schedule coordination, telephone inquiries, email communication, and surgical coordination.
Your 1st step to better hearing.
Test your hearing on your phone for free!
The app uses digits presented in background noise to allow for accurate detection of hearing loss. A 23-step hearing screening, which can be completed in under 3 minutes. Download the app, put on a pair of headphones, and test away!
CI Connection
Here at the Cochlear Implant center, we are committed to providing you with support throughout your process. You may find it beneficial to speak to others regarding their cochlear implant experience.
That's why we have assembled a team of all-star patient advocates to help answer any questions you may have before the implantation process. If you wish to be contacted by a GBMC Cochlear Implant Advocate, please click the button below. You can expect to receive contact from 1-3 advocates within the next 7 days.
*Note* You must have completed your initial candidacy evaluation with the CI center prior to joining this program.
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