Connecting Kids and Community

This month Earbus Foundation provided an innovative ear health screening training module for childcare workers in the Kwinana region of the greater Perth metropolitan area. The training is part of an intense community collaboration – Connecting Community for Kids – to ensure children in this region have early access to health screening and treatment pathways. By partnering with early learning centres, Earbus Foundation’s team of paediatric audiologists was able to tailor a training program to give childcare workers skills to perform basic otoscopy and tympanometry. With continuing support from Earbus Foundation these child care workers will be on the frontline of early detection leading to earlier treatment and diagnosis.

In order to provide increased local diagnostic resources, the next stage is the installation of an audiology booth in the Kwinana town centre to allow for prompt referral and testing of children identified by the screening program. Earbus is partnering with a respected local Aboriginal organisation to bring this next step to fruition.