Press Conference on Parliament Hill
Early Hearing Detection and Intervention

Dear Members,

On Tuesday March 25, Speech-Language and Audiology Canada and the Elks and Royal Purple of Canada will be hosting a press conference on Parliament Hill to update the federal government and the public on the status of early hearing detection and intervention (EHDI) programs in Canada. 

Background

Despite our calls for province-wide EHDI programs across Canada, far too many babies in our country are still not screened for hearing loss at birth. And, even in the provinces and territories where babies are being screened, many children do not have access to the timely and appropriate intervention services they need.  

Since SAC's last press conference on this issue — which coincided with the release of our 2010 position paper on universal newborn hearing screening — the situation has only moderately improved. It's time for all provinces and territories to make EHDI a priority.

Be a Champion

You can help raise awareness about permanent childhood hearing loss and the importance of EHDI. We encourage you to share our EHDI info sheet with your patients and clients and talk to your colleagues about the need for comprehensive EHDI programs across the country. We will update our members on the results of this press conference after March 25.