After serving Rainy River District with hearing aid dispensing, communication device sales, and counselling services since 1990, the Canadian Hearing Society is closing its Fort Frances office next month.
But CHS regional director Nancy Frost said Monday the announcement is not all bad news because the reason for the closure is that Rainy River District is adequately served when it comes to meeting the needs of the deaf, deafened, and hard of hearing.
“For the first time since I’ve been involved, the community now has two full-time audiologists who as well are dispensing,” said Frost, referring to Brenda Tullio of The Ear Clinic and the Northwestern Health Unit’s new audiologist, Jackie McCormick.
“That’s never been in existence in the community,” Frost added. “Although we hate to ever have to close up an office, the reason we are is because the community is being served better than it ever has been.
“It’s wonderful for a small community that they now have two dispensing audiologists.”
The final date of operation of the CHS office, located at 507 Portage Ave., tentatively is set for Aug. 10. Until then, the office will remain open a limited number of days and hours.
These interim hours of operation are posted at the CHS office location and on its website (www.chs.ca/offices/thunderbay/fortfrances/index.html)
“We’re not taking in any new clients,” Frost noted. “What we’re doing is meeting with clients who we currently have pending work with.
“At their request and at their direction, we’ll look into a transfer or completion of the pending work,” she added.
Frost also noted the CHS wants to maintain the communication device accessibility centre that was set up at the local office last fall and funded by the Lions and Lioness Clubs of Multiple District A.
It was one of 18 the Lions opened in Ontario.
“The Lions graciously funded the communication device accessibility centres that were opened in all four offices in the Thunder Bay region, so we are wanting to maintain it in the community,” said Frost.
“I am going to be entering into some negotiations,” she added. “Unfortunately I can’t say any more right now, but we’re hoping to keep it in the community.”
Frost stressed while the CHS will not have an office in Fort Frances, it still does have offices in Dryden and Kenora. So in total, there are four options for district residents when it comes to hearing dispensary services and clients should keep that in mind.
“I just want people not to lose sight that the Canadian Hearing Society still is in existence in the region, and even though we may not physically be in the community, we still are available,” said Frost.
“We have a hearing care counsellor from our Kenora office that does come across,” she noted.
“We have communication devices people can still order—that’s anything from amplified telephones to closed caption decoders to FM systems to visual alert systems,” she explained.
“We’re still providing a host of services. Don’t think that we’re gone,” she stressed. “Our physical presence was as a hearing aid dispensary, and because the community now is adequately served, that physical presence is no longer required.”
For more information on the Fort Frances office’s hours or CHS services clients can continue to access, visit www.chs.ca
(Fort Frances Times)
