Health Sciences Students Donate Gas Cards

CONTACT: Allison Horseman (859) 323-1100 ext. 80563

LEXINGTON, Ky. (May 19, 2008) − The rising cost of gasoline prices is affecting everyone. Families who must travel long distances to the University of Kentucky Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) Graduate Clinic for their child's important developmental follow-up exams are getting help offsetting these growing costs from the UK Chapter of the National Student Speech-Language-Hearing Association (NSSLHA).

In recognition of May as Better Hearing and Speech Month, members of UK's NSSLHA are donating $400 worth of gas cards to families who live in Kentucky counties other than Fayette, Woodford, Scott, Bourbon, Clark, Madison or Jessamine. This annual event is designed to raise awareness about communication disorders and to promote treatment for improving the quality of life of persons who experience problems with speaking, understanding or hearing. Members purchased 20 gas cards valued at $20 each with money NSSLHA raised throughout the school year.

"NSSLHA is a student organization meant to bring together the Communication Disorder students at UK through many different activities throughout the school year and community service is a very important aspect of this involvement," said Kathryn Wendler, the community service co-chair of the NSSLHA at UK.

"Every year the NSSLHA group donates money to different organizations and scholarship funds to further support learning, treatment and research in the speech-pathology and audiology field."
The children seen in the graduate clinic spent time as infants in the NICU at Kentucky Children's Hospital. Follow-up visits to the graduate clinic are free and provided by UK College of Health Sciences Communication Sciences and Disorders graduate students. Children are seen in follow-up at 3-months, 6-months, 12-months and 24-months of age, for speech and language assessments.

Better Speech and Hearing Month is an annual event coordinated by the American Speech and Hearing Association (ASHA).

The University of Kentucky College of Health Sciences consists of nine programs: Athletic Training; Communication Sciences and Disorders; Physical Therapy; Rehabilitation Sciences PhD Program; Clinical and Reproductive Sciences; Clinical Nutrition; Physician Assistant Studies; Radiation Sciences; and Clinical Leadership and Management.

WTVQ-TV/DT - Action News 36 featured this story on the nightly news. Click on the photo to view the coverage (external link).