Central Florida Speech and Hearing Center
Helping Others Communicate Better.
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Speech, language and hearing are at the heart of our ability to learn, succeed, and interact with others. The Center is actively seeking additional funding to support the growing needs of speech & language services for children in the community. A study by researchers Betty Hart and Todd Risley in 1995 found that some children, particularly living in poverty, heard thirty million fewer words by their fourth birthdays than others. In Polk County, 32.2% of children are living in poverty and approximately 52% children receive health coverage through a Medicaid program. Besides living in an environment that children are exposed to fewer words, these same children have been shown to have a high incidence of otitis media effusion (fluid and infection of the middle ear). When a child has fluctuating middle ear problems they don’t hear language consistently. Hearing redundancy is the key to learning language. We strive to address these issues in both children and adults.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Social Thinking "CHAT"
Offers teens and young adults with difficulties in social communication an opportunity to improve individual social interactions and communication skills. The program teaches social awareness to individuals for whom the ability to learn the nuances of social communication and interaction does not come naturally. Weekly small group sessions are led by a Speech-Language Pathologist. Groups consist of individuals of similar ages and abilities with no more than six participants.
Skills learned include:
· Interpreting facial expressions and body language
· Understanding others’ perspectives
· Understanding empathy
· Conversational skills
· Interview skills
· Understanding social rules
· Using tact
· Establishing and maintaining friendships
Stroke and Neurological Injury Rehabilitation
This program offers Intensive therapy programs and progression monitoring for the following disorders:
· Aphasia- A language impairment involving difficulty with reading, writing, understanding, speaking, and gesturing.
· Apraxia of Speech- Impairment in the voluntary production of articulation and prosody (the rhythm and timing of speech).
· Cognitive Function- Difficulties in memory, attention, problem solving and conversational rules.
· Dysarthia- A speech impairment usually due to muscle weakness, slowness, or incoordination resulting in articulation and speech difficulties.
This program also offers a family member support and education group. Through our Stroke Support Group, family members and caregivers are given the opportunity to meet and share experiences.
Pediatric Aural Rehabilitation
The program teaches children with hearing loss to understand language and develop their use of language. Also provides support for children and their families as they navigate the social, emotional, communication and academic challenges of a hearing loss. Our team of certified and state licensed speech-language pathologists and audiologists work together to provide a complete solution that includes:· Identifying and diagnosing the type and degree of hearing loss.
· Individualized speech and language evaluations.
· Treatment recommendations to fit the particular needs of the child.
· Training the child and family in the care and use of hearing aids.
· Speech - language therapy including: speech production, listening skills, speech reading, and strategies for coping with hearing loss.
· Education and support for family members.
Looping
Assistive Listening Loop Systems
Wireless loop systems turn your hearing aid into a direct receiver from a sound system. Even with hearing aids, many people are unable to understand speech in large or noisy rooms. This system accoustically puts the person's ear within 5 inches of the speaker.
What are the Benefits?Allows people with hearing loss to hear in even very noisy/adverse listening situations. Assistive Listening Loop System can be installed into facilities or homes.
• Eliminates annoying background noise and echo
• No extra equipment or devices needed to connect or put over the ears
• Does not affect the life of your hearing aid batteries
Listening and Spoken Language
Cochlear implants are used to treat those with a severe hearing loss. The remarkable success of cochlear implants is best demonstrated by congenitally deaf children. After receiving their implant, many children develop excellent spoken word understanding, and attend mainstream schools. However, such “miraculous” outcomes require frequent Audiology and Speech Language Pathology appointments. Currently, those with a cochlear implant must travel to surrounding metropolitan areas to receive essential intervention services. The proposed project will bring cochlear implant services to Polk County by providing two programming computers and speech language pathology assessment and intervention materials. These materials will enable Audiology and Speech Language Pathology experts at the Central Florida Speech and Hearing Center to provide cochlear implant programming and therapy services to our area. While the program will provide services to anyone with a cochlear implant, children will receive priority scheduling.
Language to Literacy
Our Language to Literacy program is able to offer our children developmentally appropriate books all year long. This includes our ongoing therapy patients as well as children who come to us for speech, language and hearing evaluations. We are connected with Scholastic’s Literacy Partnership Program which offers us access to high quality children’s books at low prices. This program puts books in the hands of children and their parents and make reading together a daily activity. Our program is simple. Our goal is to send a book home with each of the children we serve for hearing and speech/language evaluation & to give books with our ongoing therapy patients to take home quarterly (about 230 children per quarter). We have set up a “free book station” where each of our children get to select a book of their choice. They have really enjoyed this and many of them ask regularly if they can have another book.
Kid Blitz
Kid Blitz is an innovative care model enabling the Center's Doctors of Audiology to perform hearing screenings to 30 children in one day. This program provides young patients with a team-based experience. Our Audiologists work together to effectively and accurately get results for these kids, in order to determine the course of treatment. The children seen for Kid Blitz are economically disadvantaged and require subsidized funding. The Center relies on outside donations and grants to sustain the program.
Where we work
Accreditations
National Association of Speech & Hearing Center 2018
National Association of Speech & Hearing Center 2019
National Association of Speech & Hearing Center 2020
Awards
Best Hearing Aid Center 2020
Best of Central Florida
Best Audiologist 2020
Best of Central Florida
Best Hearing Aid Center 2019
Best of Central Florida
Best Audiologist 2019
Best of Central Florida
Best Hearing Aid Center 2018
Best of Polk County
Best Audiologist 2018
Best of Polk County
Affiliations & memberships
AFP (Association of Fundraising Professionals) 2016
American Academy of Audiology 2016
American Speech-Language-Hearing Association 2016
Hearing Loss Association of America 2016
Affiliate/Chapter of National Organization (i.e. Girl Scouts of the USA, American Red Cross, etc.) - Affiliate/chapter 2016
Lakeland Area Chamber of Commerce Member 2020
Lakeland Area Chamber of Commerce Member 2019
Lakeland Area Chamber of Commerce Member 2018
Lakeland Area Chamber of Commerce Member 2017
External reviews

Photos
Videos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of students showing improvement in test scores
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Children and youth
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of health outcomes improved
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of unique website visitors
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
In July 2017, the Center launched a website re-design.
Number of new donors
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Input - describing resources we use
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
While our # of new donors is trending down, the average gift amount is trending up.
Number of volunteers
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Our volunteers consist of our staff (after hours), committee members, community fundraisers, and targeted as-needed volunteers.
Number of clients served
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of staff members certified in subject area training
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Other - describing something else
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
This number includes our licensed Doctors of Audiology and Speech-Language Pathologists.
Number of evaluations conducted
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adults
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
This includes both speech-language pathology and hearing evaluations. This number does not include children that were seen for follow-up hearing appointments or weekly therapy appointments.
Number of Facebook followers
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
In 2015, the Center had approximately 600 followers. After nearly doubling the number of followers in 2016, the Center continues to gain about 100 followers per year.
Average online donation
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Input - describing resources we use
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
From 2017 to 2018 fiscal year, the Center saw a decrease in the number of donors, but an increase in the amount given.
Number of participants engaged in programs
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
These numbers represent those that benefited from the FTRI program in the corresponding year. FTRI is a free amplified phone distribution program for those with hearing and speech difficulties.
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
To help children and adults learn to communicate better and help people hear better is what we aim to accomplish. Our ultimate goal is to be able to dismiss a patient from therapy because he/she has met all of their goals and they can now communicate and function in their community. Our ultimate goal with a hearing impaired person is to be able to fit them with hearing aids and any other technology device they might need such as blue tooth, so they can hear all the sounds around them and be able to communicate in their community. A child has to first hear a word before he can speak it, speak a word before he can read it and read a word before he can write it. We begin where the child is and take them through the hierarchy of how to communicate. This is a concise definition of what we do at the Center. Children with communication disorders frequently do not perform at grade level. In Polk County 43% of students entering kindergartens in 2012 scored “not demonstrating” or “emerging skills” on the ECHOS language screening (Florida Kindergarten Readiness Screener FLKRS, District Report of School Results Fall 2012). Two out of 10 children will have some type of speech or hearing disorder. The consequences of untreated speech-language problems are significant and lead to behavioral challenges, mental health problems, reading difficulties. [Boudreau DM, Hedberg NL, 1999]. In 2017-18, the Center’s speech-language pathologists provided therapy, on average, to over 240 children each week to improve their communication skills. We see children of all ages with such disorders as autism, articulation, problems understanding and using language, and children with swallowing and eating disorders. Each patient is seen individually. Goals are set for each session. Parents observe therapy so that they can carryover the skills at home. One of our adult services is working with stroke survivors and their families. Stroke is the 4th leading cause of death in America and a leading cause of adult disability. After a stroke, many people experience speech and/or language difficulties and we see them for therapy. In addition, we offer a monthly Stroke Support Group led by our speech-language pathology staff. The support group provides education, advice, self-help skills, and the opportunity to meet and share experiences with family members, caregivers and other resources.Research demonstrates that the consequences of untreated hearing loss has considerable negative social, psychological, cognitive and health effects that go beyond hearing alone. Our treatments can help foster economic development and growth for Central Florida hearing impaired citizens because research proves when hearing impairment is dealt with earning power can be increased. Just as importantly, treatment of hearing loss has shown to reduce discrimination toward the person with a hearing loss.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
The Center provides the services that care for and maintain speech and hearing health. Many of the speech and hearing disabled clients served by the Center come from disadvantaged homes, non-English speaking homes, one parent homes, and families in need of help with parenting, disciplining and communicating with each other. We actively partner with other organizations in Central Florida whenever possible to include the United Way of Central Florida, Volunteers In Service to The Elderly (VISTE) by providing speech and hearing solutions for their clients, First Aviation Sertoma (providing Christmas food and gifts during the holidays), Hearing Loss Association of America (partnering with our Hear Mobile program to provide on-site hearing screenings across our service area and providing no/low cost hearing aids), seek out community volunteers and interns from local high schools, colleges and universities to help increase awareness in the community to the needs of speech and hearing impaired youth. Through our broad approach and community partnerships we are able to share the programs and services the Center provides so that families learn together. We also encourage children and families/caregivers to help others in need and help them understand the importance of giving back. The Center has also seen a re-energizing of the Advisory Board which meets semi-annually and provides a source of committed volunteers for fundraising and charitable activities. Other activities include: PSA’s on local TV and radio stations, special fundraising events, support from our engaged board of directors, chamber and civic group presentations, providing services to industries through OSHA testing, HearMobile program, stroke support group meetings, letter campaign, health fairs, FTRI, and Loop Florida.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
Our internal strength starts with our 30 professional staff members including 3 Doctors of Audiology and an Audiology Assistant and Audiology Doctoral Extern, 7 state licensed Speech-Language Pathologists with master’s degrees, bilingual interpreters, certified technicians with our mobile testing units and a senior management team that provides leadership and commitment to excellence as we expand our reach. We continually strive to improve our service delivery through innovation and professional development and embrace the highest standards of ethics, honesty and integrity. In addition we have an excellent facility with up-to-date technology and large therapy rooms so that all patients and staff have a comfortable working environment. Our external strengths include partnerships with the Universities where we provide internships for their audiology students. We are partners with Polk County School District Medical Academies Board. This partnership provides the Center an opportunity to invest in the development of our future workforce. We also partner with Career Source Polk to train and develop our community’s workforce. Additionally, we partner with Polk County Indigent Care to provide low cost hearing evaluations and hearing aids purchased by the county for patients that are 200% or below the poverty level. We have a diverse Board of Directors, 23 community leaders dedicated to supporting our Mission throughout Central Florida. We work closely with the Hearing Loss Association of America and its Florida chapters to promote awareness and education for the need to improve equal access and improved communication for everyone. We are active in developing and expanding our social network presence and providing education and information materials through these points of contact. We are 1 of 25 distributors in the State of Florida providing free phones to those with hearing loss. We provide both in-house and outbound solutions for those in need through partnership with the Florida Telecommunication Relay Services, Inc. (FTRI). Our onsite ShopHear store stocks the latest in assistive listening and speech devices. The Center provides life changing experiences enhancing knowledge and understanding of people with speech and hearing disabilities.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
ACCOMPLISHMENTS:Created an Awareness Campaign helping community partners learn more about the impacts of untreated hearing loss and the many services the Center provides.Reorganized staff, placing employees in the right place/positions. The change increased productivity without increasing the number of employees. Held two major fund raising events with over 1,000 guests attending, raising over $310,000. Added 4 new Board of Director members.Contract approved with Polk County Indigent Care for Audiology servicesPartnership formed with Internist and ENT physicians to reach more patients. All our stakeholder groups are very focused on the impact we have on the communities that make up Central Florida. Hundreds of volunteers help spread the word about our programs and services and the importance of addressing speech and hearing health. That commitment has propelled our organization, helping us expand our reach by serving more patients regardless of their ability to pay. While we have made great strides we:Continue to pursue contracts with commercial insurance companies in order to increase revenue.Plans are underway to staff and begin online courses for preschool educators in order to fulfill new state guidelines for preschool funding.Increase revenue by $10,000 per month to become more financially stable.Expand our Hear Mobile Industry Services. A lesson learned is that regardless of our Mission and the services we provide for the betterment of individuals, we must be able to generate revenue to support our Mission. Although we continue to enlist the generosity of our community, we seek to identify and implement programs that positively generate income for long term legacy. We are critical to providing needed services to Central Florida communities. An overwhelming percentage of our patients are served under Medicaid guidelines. Without the service we deliver, most would not have a place of treatment for their speech and hearing health needs. Our greatest obstacle is AWARENESS about the consequences of untreated hearing loss. Research, much from John Hopkins, established risks related to untreated hearing loss such as dementia, diabetes, falls, negative social, psychological, cognitive and health effects of untreated hearing loss. Those who have difficulty hearing experience distorted and incomplete communication that seriously impacts their professional and personal lives. Hearing loss is not just an ailment of old age. It can strike at any time and any age, even childhood. This past year we fit a 4 month old baby with hearing aids. That child will grow up in a hearing-enabled world able to thrive and succeed in spite of the hearing loss. Speaking and hearing connects people to the world around them. As Helen Keller said “blindness separates people from things, deafness separates people from people.”
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
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Central Florida Speech and Hearing Center
Board of directorsas of 02/22/2022
Ms. Tanya Isaman
Center State Bank
Term: 2019 - 2021
Mr. Doug McPherson
Citizens Bank & Trust
Term: 2019 - 2021
Bill Schichtel
Heath Funeral Chapel
Thomas Slaughter
Mulberry Pharmacy
Trista Otto
Saddle Creek Logistics Services
Misty Peacock
Midflorida Credit Union
Bruce Abels
Community Volunteer
Jonathan LaRonde
Publix Super Markets
Gina Jacobi
Lakeland Electric
Tanya Isaman
CenterState Bank
Elizabeth Krause
Florida Southern College
Daniel Pilka
Pilka & Associates, P.A.
Doug McPherson
Citizens Bank & Trust
Andra Morgan
Landmark Mortgage
Wes Craven
Pro-Ad Media
David Holm
Synovus Bank
Gary Thomas
The Dobbins Company
Scott Doty
Rick Maxey
Greg Ruthven
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
No data