‘Hearing Care for All’: A Community Coalition Addressing Disparities

The World Hearing Day theme this year is “Hearing Care for All,” a timely topic as the U.S. struggles with systemic inequities and their consequences. This theme presses us to think deeply about the concept of patient-centered care, including which communities have been “centered” and which have not. 

In hearing health care research, greater representation of Hispanic/LatinX voices from patients, family members, providers, and researchers can advance our goal of providing equitable patient-centered care. Solving this requires conscious attention to culturally-responsive practices and strong collaboration between the community and academic partners. Within the Hispanic Hearing Healthcare Access Coalition, partners committed to this work include people with hearing loss, family members, advocates, researchers, subject-matter experts, and health care workers interested in patient-centered outcomes research.

The University of Arizona and the University of Miami are co-leading the formation of the coalition through funding from the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI). The coalition aims to build multi-state capacity for hearing-intervention research with Hispanic/LatinX communities through development of a final report on the state of hearing health care access. This effort includes special attention to communication challenges related to COVID-19. Here’s what coalition members are saying about their efforts to enhance care for Hispanic/LatinX adults.

"During my graduate education, I have been drawn to learning about hearing health care disparities within the Hispanic/LatinX community, the quality of translation services during appointments, and providing sustainable access to audiologic services to communities along the U.S./Mexico Border. As a future audiologist, and a Latino, I feel the responsibility to advocate for research that is representative of the community I serve." —Naudy A. Ocasio Portalatín, BA, bilingual audiology graduate student, University of Arizona

“It took me eight years and four clinical exams to come to terms with and accept my hearing loss. At age 52, I still struggle with the use of hearing aids, proper use of masks and face coverings, and communicating with others in times of COVID-19. I’m sure I’m not the only one. Maybe sharing my experiences would help others in their own journey. As a Latina patient with age-related hearing loss, I want to raise awareness of this ‘silent’ health disparity and would like to educate others to alleviate their suffering in silence.” —Brendaly Rodríguez, MA, CPH, director, Chula Vista Community Collaborative

“Recognizing communication as a human right, I see ways in which research on hearing health needs to be done differently to be more inclusive. We need hearing care to not only be accessible, but equitable. This includes expanding the evidence base with greater representation of the diverse lived experiences of people with hearing loss. In order to achieve the World Health Organization's message of ‘Hearing Care for All,’ I see audiologists as having an important role in seeking out, advocating for, and creating inclusive research.” —Nicole Marrone, PhD, CCC-A, audiologist researcher, University of Arizona

"As an audiologist with many cherished identities—being Mexican-American, Chinese-American, and Quechan Indian—I hope that we can transform our societal views to see all individuals and families experiencing hearing loss from a strengths-based perspective. When we work together with our patients and community members in innovating care, we can meaningfully enhance services. I see the importance of incorporating patient voices throughout the research process to ensure that it is conducted in a way that is respectful of cultural values and benefits the communities it is intended to serve.” —Aileen Wong, AuD, CCC-A, clinical audiologist and researcher, University of Arizona

"I recognize that individuals with age-related hearing loss can face multiple barriers to accessing hearing health care services. I support the mission of eliminating disparities in hearing health care through community engagement and participatory research..” —Laura Coco, AuD, CCC-A, clinical audiologist and researcher, University of Arizona 

“I became interested in the problem of hearing health care access more than 30 years ago, publishing in 1990 a paper documenting the low uptake of hearing aid use in Hispanic populations.  Unfortunately, access has not improved since then, and I hope that insights gained from the Hispanic Hearing Healthcare Access Coalition will allow us to develop strategies to lower access barriers in the future.” —David Lee, PhD, epidemiologist, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine

 "Through my involvement with the PCORI project, I have become acutely aware of the importance of conducting relevant hearing loss research within the Hispanic community. I hope that projects like this one can lead to the development of effective hearing health care trainings and interventions for underserved communities that so badly need them.” —Rosie Piper, health promotion manager, Mariposa Community Health Center

How to get involved

Our coalition invites you to share your voice and join in our national conversation during a free national stakeholders workshop on March 10.  Co-hosted with the American Auditory Society, the virtual workshop will feature a 360 conversation between hearing healthcare seekers and providers and mentoring for student attendees.

We hope you join us on this World Hearing Day and at our upcoming workshop to support inclusive patient-centered outcomes research on hearing care for Hispanic/LatinX communities.

Aileen Wong, AuD, CCC-A, is a clinical audiologist and researcher at the University of Arizona. [email protected]

Naudy A. Ocasio Portalatín, BA, is a bilingual audiology graduate student at the University of Arizona. [email protected]

 Brendaly Rodríguez, MA, CPH, is the Director of Chula Vista Community Collaborative. [email protected] 

Nicole Marrone, PhD, CCC-A, an audiologist researcher at the University of Arizona, also contributed to this article. [email protected]