IN THE SPIRIT OF GIVING

This past Tuesday, we hosted an emotional and heartwarming ceremony to announce a generous donation from the Presbyterian Eye, Ear and Throat Charity Hospital Board of Governors that will allow us to expand our Cochlear Implant Center’s services to a larger population of people who need assistance with their hearing loss. 

Our Center is one of the largest community-based programs in the United States and the only community-based program within a one-hundred-mile radius. Led by Dr. Brian A. Kaplan, Chairman of our Department of Otolaryngology, and Dr. Regina Presley, Senior Cochlear Implant Audiologist, our Center does excellent work. This was quite evident when listening to patient stories and watching videos of patients being able to hear sounds that they couldn’t hear before their procedure. Since 2002, the Cochlear Implant Center has helped 900 patients with their hearing loss and has brought the world of sound to more than 500 individuals through cochlear implantation.

The financial support from the Presbyterian Eye, Ear and Throat Charity Hospital will allow us to significantly improve the care to patients and to provide a unique setting for their evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment. The Center, under the new name, The Presbyterian Board of Governors Cochlear Implant Center of Excellence at GBMC, will also provide enhanced treatment options for all patients, from infants to seniors, diagnosed with moderate to profound sensorineural hearing loss, with the highest quality of clinical care, cutting-edge technology and research, and increased staff resources.

We are so grateful for this generous gift and for partners like the Presbyterian Eye, Ear and Throat Charity Hospital Board. Their financial support will help us to make our fabulous program even better.

HOLIDAY SPIRIT
For those of you who attended this year’s annual Employee Holiday Meal, I hope you enjoyed the good food and festivities. This is a GBMC HealthCare system tradition that brings us together. Music filled the air as the members of the GBMC Holiday Choir put on a wonderful lunch-time concert. Thanks to all who did their part to make this year’s event a success!


HAPPY HOLIDAYS
On behalf of the organization, I want to extend best wishes for a safe, healthy, and happy holiday season for those celebrating Christmas or Kwanzaa. Enjoy your time with family members and think about the things that are important in your lives. For those staff members working during the holidays, a special “thank you” for taking care of those who can’t be at home during the holiday season. I am so lucky to be associated with so many wonderful caregivers. In this season of giving, my colleagues give a lot and we are grateful. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all!