Sept. 17: “Hospital Safety and Hearing Loss; a Panel Discussion”

A FREE webinar titled “Hospital Safety and Hearing Loss; a Panel Discussion” is scheduled for September 17, 2025, at 9 am PT / 11 am CT / Noon ET, moderated by Elaine McCaffrey. Representatives from three Chicago area hospitals and one rural hospital system will participate.

Panelists and attendees are encouraged to invite nurses, hospital staff, ADA coordinators to attend the webinar, which will be recorded. Send the link below to your local medical professionals’ to bring awareness to hearing loss and encourage them to attend.

Make Healthcare Safer & More Accessible for Patients with Hearing Loss – REGISTER HERE!

Join us for the Chicago Hospital Safety Program — a unique webinar bringing together hospital representatives and the hearing loss community (non-sign language users) to share strategies that improve patient safety, communication, and care.

Why Attend?

• Learn best practices: Discover the accommodations Chicago hospitals provide and how patients can access them.

• Gain insights: Hear directly from patients about their communication challenges and needs.

• Collaborate & improve: Compare your hospital’s services with others and bring back actionable ideas to enhance patient care.

• Expand impact: While based in Chicago, the advocacy tips and strategies discussed can be applied nationwide.

This interactive program fosters real dialogue, equips patients with tools to advocate for themselves, and empowers healthcare professionals to strengthen accessibility and safety in their facilities.Your participation helps shape a healthcare system that truly works for everyone

Elaine McCaffrey
Member, HLAA Board of Directors
Strategic Team for the HLAA Communication Access in Health Care Program

2025-26 Chapter Meeting Dates Confirmed

With tremendous gratitude for the City of Boynton Beach, we are able to confirm our chapter meeting schedule for the 2025-26 season. Please see below or download PDF with schedule. Monthly meetings will again be held in the beautiful conference room in City Hall at 10:30 on Saturday mornings, from September through May. With the exception of December and January, meetings are held on the first Saturday of each month.

Saturday, September 6, 2025
Saturday, October 4, 2025
Saturday, November 1, 2025
Saturday, Dec. 6: Holiday Brunch (Location TBD)
Saturday, December 13, 2025
Saturday, January 10, 2026
Saturday, February 7, 2026
Saturday, March 7, 2026
Saturday, April 4, 2026
Saturday, May 2, 2026

The Hearing Loss Association of America Mission: To open the world of communication to
people with hearing loss by providing information, education, support and advocacy.

HLAA-PBC is an all-volunteer organization dedicated to the mission of the HLAA.
Chapter meetings are free and open to the public. Membership is open to all.
HEARING LOOP: The hearing loop system installed in our meeting space delivers clear audio, wirelessly, to the TELECOIL in personal hearing aids, cochlear implants and LOOP Listeners (loaners available). Captions also provided.

www.hearingloss-palmbeachcounty.org
www.instagram.com/hlaa_palmbeach
https://www.facebook.com/HLAAPalmBeachCounty
Board member contact: hlaa.palmbeachcounty@gmail.com

National Award for Local Advocate

The Hearing Loss Association of America “2023 Community Access Award” was presented to Peggy Bell (Palm Beach County, FL Chapter) and Wynne Whyman (Boulder, CO Chapter) on June 30 during the HLAA Annual Convention held in New Orleans.

Bell and Whyman are members of the HLAA national “Get in the Hearing Loop” Committee. They successfully advocated for the addition of “Assistive Hearing Loop” as an accessibility attribute on Google Maps just last year. Since then, they have updated Google Maps with verified data on thousands of locations that provide a hearing loop system, the consumer-preferred technology for hearing access/clarity in all types of public spaces.

For those who may not know, hearing loop systems broadcast filtered sound, wirelessly, to the T-Coil (telecoil) built into virtually all brands of hearing aids, cochlear implants and loop receivers. For those who do know of a looped location that is not currently identified on Google Maps, please use this form to add the location!

The other five accessibility attributes published by Google Maps include mobility-related accommodations mandated by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). For more information on the Annual Convention Awards Ceremony and other 2023 Award recipients, click here >>