SOMERSET, NJ March 18 – At this year’s OtiCongress held in Buenos Aires, Argentina, more than 100 US hearing professionals took their “knowledge sharing” beyond the OtiCongress workshops and seminars to benefit children in need at the Mutualidad Argentina de Hipoacusicos (MAH). Working side-by-side with audiologists from the non-profit organization, the US volunteers fit over 100 needy children with hearing instruments donated by Oticon, Inc.

“Participants at OtiCongress sessions know that they will come away with the latest knowledge, research and practical techniques for building their practices,” stated Oticon President Peer Lauritsen. “This year, they also came away with a better understanding of how valuable their services can be to people in need. This joint US-Argentinean humanitarian effort showed that the commitment to making a difference in the lives of people with hearing loss knows no borders.”

Oticon, Inc. donated 162 hearing instruments and a supply of batteries to the Mutualidad Argentina de Hipoacusicos, Buenos Aires, which were provided to children from the School of Special Education Nº 502 in Merlo and the Municipal School for Deaf Children “Dr. Ramón Carrillo” in Haedo during a clinic session on March 1. Despite heavy rains, the US volunteers, Oticon staff and MAH audiologists worked throughout the day to insure that each of the 100 children received individual care and attention. Over half of the children were fitted binaurally. MAH audiologists employed their bilingual skills to facilitate communications among the US hearing care professionals, the children, their parents and staff from the two local schools.

Mutualidad Argentina de Hipoacusicos has been a valued Oticon partner for over 25 years. The non-profit organization has provided hearing solutions to over 60,000 patients as part of their commitment to serving the hearing impaired population of Argentina. Over the coming months, the MAH audiologists will continue the care of the youngsters fitted with Oticon hearing instruments, following their progress and adjusting the instruments to best suit the needs of each child. MAH audiologists will report the childrens’ progress and obtain needed support from Oticon audiologists.