Representatives Tom Latham (R-IA) and Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY) today reintroduced the bipartisan Hearing Aid Tax Credit (H.R. 1479) with 36 original co-sponsors, including 4 members of the House Ways and Means Committee. The bill is unchanged from legislation in the 111th Congress that attracted a record 131 co-sponsors by the end of the session. In the Senate, Tom Harkin (D-IA) and Olympia Snowe (R-ME) are organizing original co-sponsors as they prepare to reintroduce companion legislation in that chamber.
The Hearing Aid Tax Credit would provide assistance to many of the 34 million people who need hearing aids to treat their hearing loss. Medicare expressly excludes coverage of hearing aids as do most private insurance policies, and as a result, cost is cited as a prohibitive factor by two thirds of the people who do not treat their hearing loss. If enacted, H.R. 1479 would provide a $500 tax credit per hearing aid for children and people age 55 and older. That would be a critical assist since 61% of all hearing aid purchases involve no third party payment of any kind, and only 25% of people who could benefit from hearing aids actual use them according to the latest MarkeTrak report.
HIA’s Chairman, Todd Murray, points out that “given that hearing aids can help 95% of people with hearing loss, it is tragic that the lack of financial assistance continues to create a significant barrier to access for millions of Americans.” The Hearing Aid Tax Credit is actively supported as a way to provide some assistance by hearing health organizations including the Alexander Graham Bell Assn for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (AG Bell), Hearing Loss Assn of America (HLAA), Academy of Doctors of Audiology (ADA), American Academy of Audiology (AAA), American Speech Language Hearing Assn (ASHA), American Tinnitus Association (ATA), International Hearing Society (IHS) and Hearing Industries Association (HIA).
The hearing health community has worked as a coalition to focus Congressional attention on the importance of hearing health and the burdens associated with the lack of financial assistance for treatment. In addition to coalition efforts on Capitol Hill, HIA has sponsored local AG Bell, HLAA and IHS chapters that have hosted events for Representatives and Senators in their districts to demonstrate the importance of this legislation to voters. Five local events to thank hearing champions were held in the 111th Congress including programs that attracted 180 people in the Philadelphia suburbs for Rep. Allyson Schwartz; 200 people in Henderson, NV for Rep. Dina Titus; 120 people in suburban Houston for Rep. Pete Olson; 180 people in E. Lansing, MI for Sen Debbie Stabenow and 120 people in La Crosse, WI for Rep. Ron Kind. A total of 13 constituent events have been held since the hearing coalition first started work in support of the tax credit.
In addition, this legislation has attracted dramatic grassroots attention, motivating Americans across the nation to send more than 75,000 emails and letters to their elected Members of Congress since 2008 by visiting www.hearingaidtaxcredit.org. Murray notes that “hearing loss is an issue that affects millions of people, and this legislation could have a great impact on their ability to afford hearing aid treatment - we are honored that so many Representatives have recognized this fact and have lent this cause record support.”
HIA, headquartered in Washington, DC, is the national trade association of manufacturers of hearing aids, implantable hearing devices, assistive listening devices, component parts and power sources for amplification devices. Visit www.hearingaidtaxcredit.org for information about the bill, or contact Andy Bopp, abopp@bostrom.com.
Monday, May 30, 2011
Monday, May 23, 2011
Will We Hear the Light? - Surprising Discovery that Infrared Can Activate Heart and Ear Cells
University of Utah scientists used invisible infrared light to make rat heart cells contract and toadfish inner-ear cells send signals to the brain. The discovery someday might improve cochlear implants for deafness and lead to devices to restore vision, maintain balance and treat movement disorders like Parkinson's.
"We're going to talk to the brain with optical infrared pulses instead of electrical pulses," which now are used in cochlear implants to provide deaf people with limited hearing, says Richard Rabbitt, a professor of bioengineering and senior author of the heart-cell and inner-ear-cell studies published this month in The Journal of Physiology.
The studies - funded by the National Institutes of Health - also raise the possibility of developing cardiac pacemakers that use optical signals rather than electrical signals to stimulate heart cells. But Rabbitt says that because electronic pacemakers work well, "I don't see a market for an optical pacemaker at the present time."
The scientific significance of the studies is the discovery that optical signals - short pulses of an invisible wavelength of infrared laser light delivered via a thin, glass optical fiber - can activate heart cells and inner-ear cells related to balance and hearing.
In addition, the research showed infrared activates the heart cells, called cardiomyocytes, by triggering the movement of calcium ions in and out of mitochondria, the organelles or components within cells that convert sugar into usable energy. The same process appears to occur when infrared light stimulates inner-ear cells.
Infrared light can be felt as heat, raising the possibility the heart and ear cells were activated by heat rather than the infrared radiation itself. But Rabbitt and colleagues did "elegant experiments" to show the cells indeed were activated by the infrared radiation, says a commentary in the journal by Ian Curthoys of the University of Sydney, Australia.
Curthoys writes that the research provides "stunningly bright insight" into events within inner-ear cells and "has great potential for future clinical application."
Shedding Infrared Light on Inner-Ear Cells and Heart Cells
The low-power infrared light pulses in the study were generated by a diode - "the same thing that's in a laser pointer, just a different wavelength," Rabbitt says.
The scientists exposed the cells to infrared light in the laboratory. The heart cells in the study were newborn rat heart muscle cells called cardiomyocytes, which make the heart pump. The inner-ear cells are hair cells, and came from the inner-ear organ that senses motion of the head. The hair cells came from oyster toadfish, which are well-establish models for comparison with human inner ears and the sense of balance.
Inner-ear hair cells "convert the mechanical vibration from sound, gravity or motion into the signal that goes to the brain" via adjacent nerve cells, says Rabbitt.
Using infrared radiation, "we were stimulating the hair cells, and they dumped neurotransmitter onto the neurons that sent signals to the brain," Rabbitt says.
He believes the inner-ear hair cells are activated by infrared radiation because "they are full of mitochondria, which are a primary target of this wavelength."
The infrared radiation affects the flow of calcium ions in and out of mitochondria - something shown by the companion study in neonatal rat heart cells.
That is important because for "excitable" nerve and muscle cells, "calcium is like the trigger for making these cells contract or release neurotransmitter," says Rabbitt.
The heart cell study found that an infrared pulse lasting a mere one-5,000th of a second made mitochondria rapidly suck up calcium ions within a cell, then slowly release them back into the cell - a cycle that makes the cell contract.
"Calcium does that normally," says Rabbitt. "But it's normally controlled by the cell, not by us. So the infrared radiation gives us a tool to control the cell. In the case of the [inner-ear] neurons, you are controlling signals going to the brain. In the case of the heart, you are pacing contraction."
New Possibilities for Optical versus Electrical Cochlear Implants
Rabbitt believes the research - including a related study of the cochlea last year - could lead to better cochlear implants that would use optical rather than electrical signals.
Existing cochlear implants convert sound into electrical signals, which typically are transmitted to eight electrodes in the cochlea, a part of the inner ear where sound vibrations are converted to nerve signals to the brain. Eight electrodes can deliver only eight frequencies of sound, Rabbitt says.
"A healthy adult can hear more than 3,000 different frequencies. With optical stimulation, there's a possibility of hearing hundreds or thousands of frequencies instead of eight. Perhaps someday an optical cochlear implant will allow deaf people to once again enjoy music and hear all the nuances in sound that a hearing person would enjoy."
Unlike electrical current, which spreads through tissue and cannot be focused to a point, infrared light can be focused, so numerous wavelengths (corresponding to numerous frequencies of sound) could be aimed at different cells in the inner ear.
Nerve cells that send sound signals from the ears to the brain can fire more than 300 times per second, so ideally, a cochlear implant using infrared light would be able to perform as well. In the Utah experiments, the researchers were able to apply laser pulses to hair cells to make adjacent nerve cells fire up to 100 times per second. For a cochlear implant, the nerve cells would be activated within infrared light instead of the hair cells.
Rabbitt cautioned it may be five to 10 years before the development of cochlear implants that run optically. To be practical, they need a smaller power supply and light source, and must be more power efficient to run on small batteries like a hearing aid.
Optical Prosthetics for Movement, Balance and Vision Disorders
Electrical deep-brain stimulation now is used to treat movement disorders such as Parkinson's disease and "essential tremor, which causes rhythmic movement of the limbs so it becomes difficult to walk, function and eat," says Rabbitt.
He is investigating whether optical rather than electrical deep-brain stimulation might increase how long the treatment is effective.
Rabbitt also sees potential for optical implants to treat balance disorders.
"When we get old, we shuffle and walk carefully, not because our muscles don't work but because we have trouble with balance," he says. "This technology has potential for restoring balance by restoring the signals that the healthy ear sends to the brain about how your body is moving in space."
Optical stimulation also might provide artificial vision in people with retinitis pigmentosa or other loss of retinal cells - the eye cells that detect light and color - but who still have the next level of cells, known as ganglia, Rabbitt says.
"You would wear glasses with a camera [mounted on the frames] and there would be electronics that would convert signals from the camera into pulses of infrared radiation that would be patterned onto the diseased retina that normally does not respond to light but would respond to the pulsed infrared radiation" to create images, he says.
Hearing and vision implants that use optical rather than electrical signals do not have to penetrate the brain or other nerve tissue because infrared light can penetrate "quite a bit of tissue," so devices emitting the light "have potential for excellent biocompatibility," Rabbitt says. "You will be able to implant optical devices and leave them there for life."
The heart cell study was led by Rabbitt, with University of Utah bioengineering doctoral student Gregory Dittami as first author. Co-authors were Suhrud Rajguru, a former Utah doctoral student now at Northwestern University in Chicago; Utah doctoral student Richard Lasher; and Robert Hitchcock, an assistant professor of bioengineering at the University of Utah.
Rabbitt's coauthors on the inner-ear study included first author Rajguru; Dittami; Claus-Peter Richter and Agnella Matic of Northwestern University; neuroscientist Gay Holstein of Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York; and neuroscientist Stephen Highstein of the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, Mass.
Taken from http://www.unews.utah.edu/
"We're going to talk to the brain with optical infrared pulses instead of electrical pulses," which now are used in cochlear implants to provide deaf people with limited hearing, says Richard Rabbitt, a professor of bioengineering and senior author of the heart-cell and inner-ear-cell studies published this month in The Journal of Physiology.
The studies - funded by the National Institutes of Health - also raise the possibility of developing cardiac pacemakers that use optical signals rather than electrical signals to stimulate heart cells. But Rabbitt says that because electronic pacemakers work well, "I don't see a market for an optical pacemaker at the present time."
The scientific significance of the studies is the discovery that optical signals - short pulses of an invisible wavelength of infrared laser light delivered via a thin, glass optical fiber - can activate heart cells and inner-ear cells related to balance and hearing.
In addition, the research showed infrared activates the heart cells, called cardiomyocytes, by triggering the movement of calcium ions in and out of mitochondria, the organelles or components within cells that convert sugar into usable energy. The same process appears to occur when infrared light stimulates inner-ear cells.
Infrared light can be felt as heat, raising the possibility the heart and ear cells were activated by heat rather than the infrared radiation itself. But Rabbitt and colleagues did "elegant experiments" to show the cells indeed were activated by the infrared radiation, says a commentary in the journal by Ian Curthoys of the University of Sydney, Australia.
Curthoys writes that the research provides "stunningly bright insight" into events within inner-ear cells and "has great potential for future clinical application."
Shedding Infrared Light on Inner-Ear Cells and Heart Cells
The low-power infrared light pulses in the study were generated by a diode - "the same thing that's in a laser pointer, just a different wavelength," Rabbitt says.
The scientists exposed the cells to infrared light in the laboratory. The heart cells in the study were newborn rat heart muscle cells called cardiomyocytes, which make the heart pump. The inner-ear cells are hair cells, and came from the inner-ear organ that senses motion of the head. The hair cells came from oyster toadfish, which are well-establish models for comparison with human inner ears and the sense of balance.
Inner-ear hair cells "convert the mechanical vibration from sound, gravity or motion into the signal that goes to the brain" via adjacent nerve cells, says Rabbitt.
Using infrared radiation, "we were stimulating the hair cells, and they dumped neurotransmitter onto the neurons that sent signals to the brain," Rabbitt says.
He believes the inner-ear hair cells are activated by infrared radiation because "they are full of mitochondria, which are a primary target of this wavelength."
The infrared radiation affects the flow of calcium ions in and out of mitochondria - something shown by the companion study in neonatal rat heart cells.
That is important because for "excitable" nerve and muscle cells, "calcium is like the trigger for making these cells contract or release neurotransmitter," says Rabbitt.
The heart cell study found that an infrared pulse lasting a mere one-5,000th of a second made mitochondria rapidly suck up calcium ions within a cell, then slowly release them back into the cell - a cycle that makes the cell contract.
"Calcium does that normally," says Rabbitt. "But it's normally controlled by the cell, not by us. So the infrared radiation gives us a tool to control the cell. In the case of the [inner-ear] neurons, you are controlling signals going to the brain. In the case of the heart, you are pacing contraction."
New Possibilities for Optical versus Electrical Cochlear Implants
Rabbitt believes the research - including a related study of the cochlea last year - could lead to better cochlear implants that would use optical rather than electrical signals.
Existing cochlear implants convert sound into electrical signals, which typically are transmitted to eight electrodes in the cochlea, a part of the inner ear where sound vibrations are converted to nerve signals to the brain. Eight electrodes can deliver only eight frequencies of sound, Rabbitt says.
"A healthy adult can hear more than 3,000 different frequencies. With optical stimulation, there's a possibility of hearing hundreds or thousands of frequencies instead of eight. Perhaps someday an optical cochlear implant will allow deaf people to once again enjoy music and hear all the nuances in sound that a hearing person would enjoy."
Unlike electrical current, which spreads through tissue and cannot be focused to a point, infrared light can be focused, so numerous wavelengths (corresponding to numerous frequencies of sound) could be aimed at different cells in the inner ear.
Nerve cells that send sound signals from the ears to the brain can fire more than 300 times per second, so ideally, a cochlear implant using infrared light would be able to perform as well. In the Utah experiments, the researchers were able to apply laser pulses to hair cells to make adjacent nerve cells fire up to 100 times per second. For a cochlear implant, the nerve cells would be activated within infrared light instead of the hair cells.
Rabbitt cautioned it may be five to 10 years before the development of cochlear implants that run optically. To be practical, they need a smaller power supply and light source, and must be more power efficient to run on small batteries like a hearing aid.
Optical Prosthetics for Movement, Balance and Vision Disorders
Electrical deep-brain stimulation now is used to treat movement disorders such as Parkinson's disease and "essential tremor, which causes rhythmic movement of the limbs so it becomes difficult to walk, function and eat," says Rabbitt.
He is investigating whether optical rather than electrical deep-brain stimulation might increase how long the treatment is effective.
Rabbitt also sees potential for optical implants to treat balance disorders.
"When we get old, we shuffle and walk carefully, not because our muscles don't work but because we have trouble with balance," he says. "This technology has potential for restoring balance by restoring the signals that the healthy ear sends to the brain about how your body is moving in space."
Optical stimulation also might provide artificial vision in people with retinitis pigmentosa or other loss of retinal cells - the eye cells that detect light and color - but who still have the next level of cells, known as ganglia, Rabbitt says.
"You would wear glasses with a camera [mounted on the frames] and there would be electronics that would convert signals from the camera into pulses of infrared radiation that would be patterned onto the diseased retina that normally does not respond to light but would respond to the pulsed infrared radiation" to create images, he says.
Hearing and vision implants that use optical rather than electrical signals do not have to penetrate the brain or other nerve tissue because infrared light can penetrate "quite a bit of tissue," so devices emitting the light "have potential for excellent biocompatibility," Rabbitt says. "You will be able to implant optical devices and leave them there for life."
The heart cell study was led by Rabbitt, with University of Utah bioengineering doctoral student Gregory Dittami as first author. Co-authors were Suhrud Rajguru, a former Utah doctoral student now at Northwestern University in Chicago; Utah doctoral student Richard Lasher; and Robert Hitchcock, an assistant professor of bioengineering at the University of Utah.
Rabbitt's coauthors on the inner-ear study included first author Rajguru; Dittami; Claus-Peter Richter and Agnella Matic of Northwestern University; neuroscientist Gay Holstein of Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York; and neuroscientist Stephen Highstein of the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, Mass.
Taken from http://www.unews.utah.edu/
Monday, May 16, 2011
Budget Misses on Childhood Hearing
Today, the Canadian Association of Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists (CASLPA) expressed its disappointment at the absence of dedicated funding in the federal budget for universal newborn hearing screening programs (UNHS) to detect permanent childhood hearing loss (PCHL).
"By not providing dedicated funding for a universal newborn hearing screening program, they are missing a real opportunity to improve care while saving money," said CASLPA audiology board director, Dr. Sean Kinden.
Approximately three to five per 1,000 babies born each year in Canada have some degree of hearing loss. UNHS programs use an inexpensive and non-invasive test that can quickly and accurately screen for hearing loss in newborns. The screening process is simple and should ideally be performed before a newborn leaves the hospital. At about $35 per test, such screening is less expensive than a number of other current newborn screening tests.
Historically, only those babies with high-risk factors have been screened for PCHL, but studies estimate that nearly 50 per cent of infants with hearing loss have no high risk factors. Relying on risk assessment alone means as many as half of children with PCHL are missed. Because it is very difficult to detect PCHL based on observation alone, the absence of UNHS programs inevitably delays the identification of affected children.
"Undetected PCHL has been described by some researchers as a neurologic emergency," said Dr. Kinden. "Extended periods of auditory deprivation have a significant impact on a child's overall brain development and sensory integration. Deficits in speech, language, cognitive, academic, social and emotional development are expected results of untreated hearing loss. The most direct and effective way of limiting the impact of these factors is to reduce the age at which hearing loss is identified and to start intervention as early as possible."
UNHS is increasingly becoming the standard of care in many developed countries, including the United States, where 95 per cent of newborns are screened with UNHS programs. While Ontario and New Brunswick were the first to mandate UNHS programs in 2002, they remain non-existent in many areas of Canada.
"It is not a question of whether or not childhood hearing loss will be detected, but when. The later it is detected, the higher the cost will be to government," concludes Dr. Kinden. "By acting early through UNHS programs, treatment for hearing loss is less expensive and can be significantly more effective. This improves outcomes for the child and, ultimately, saves the government money. That's a win-win situation."
With more than 5,800 members, CASLPA is the only national body that supports and represents the professional needs of speech-language pathologists, audiologists and supportive personnel inclusively within one organization. Through this support, CASLPA champions the needs of people with hearing and communication disorders. Visit CASLPA at www.caslpa.ca/ or learn more at www.speechandhearing.ca/
"By not providing dedicated funding for a universal newborn hearing screening program, they are missing a real opportunity to improve care while saving money," said CASLPA audiology board director, Dr. Sean Kinden.
Approximately three to five per 1,000 babies born each year in Canada have some degree of hearing loss. UNHS programs use an inexpensive and non-invasive test that can quickly and accurately screen for hearing loss in newborns. The screening process is simple and should ideally be performed before a newborn leaves the hospital. At about $35 per test, such screening is less expensive than a number of other current newborn screening tests.
Historically, only those babies with high-risk factors have been screened for PCHL, but studies estimate that nearly 50 per cent of infants with hearing loss have no high risk factors. Relying on risk assessment alone means as many as half of children with PCHL are missed. Because it is very difficult to detect PCHL based on observation alone, the absence of UNHS programs inevitably delays the identification of affected children.
"Undetected PCHL has been described by some researchers as a neurologic emergency," said Dr. Kinden. "Extended periods of auditory deprivation have a significant impact on a child's overall brain development and sensory integration. Deficits in speech, language, cognitive, academic, social and emotional development are expected results of untreated hearing loss. The most direct and effective way of limiting the impact of these factors is to reduce the age at which hearing loss is identified and to start intervention as early as possible."
UNHS is increasingly becoming the standard of care in many developed countries, including the United States, where 95 per cent of newborns are screened with UNHS programs. While Ontario and New Brunswick were the first to mandate UNHS programs in 2002, they remain non-existent in many areas of Canada.
"It is not a question of whether or not childhood hearing loss will be detected, but when. The later it is detected, the higher the cost will be to government," concludes Dr. Kinden. "By acting early through UNHS programs, treatment for hearing loss is less expensive and can be significantly more effective. This improves outcomes for the child and, ultimately, saves the government money. That's a win-win situation."
With more than 5,800 members, CASLPA is the only national body that supports and represents the professional needs of speech-language pathologists, audiologists and supportive personnel inclusively within one organization. Through this support, CASLPA champions the needs of people with hearing and communication disorders. Visit CASLPA at www.caslpa.ca/ or learn more at www.speechandhearing.ca/
Monday, May 9, 2011
New Sync Stereo Earmuffs from Howard Leight Combine Hearing Protection with High-Fidelity Sound Quality
Optimizing acoustical earcup design, volume management technology, and personal hearing protection, Honeywell Safety Products introduces Sync™, the next generation of stereo earmuffs from Howard Leight®. Sync delivers the proper levels of hearing protection in hazardous noise environments with high-fidelity stereo sound from users’ personal portable audio MP3 players.
“Most stereo earmuffs used in industry today provide a moderate level of hearing protection, but often sacrifice the sound quality of the attached MP3 players – which can work to discourage their use,” said Renee S. Bessette, COHC, Global Brand Manager, Howard Leight / Honeywell Safety Products. “In contrast, Sync stereo earmuffs optimize new designs and technologies that provide both hearing protection and true listening enjoyment. Sync entices usage – to deliver protection from noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) on the job or at home.”
Sync stereo earmuffs feature:
For more information, visit www.howardleight.com/playitsafe.
About Howard Leight®
Howard Leight/Honeywell Safety Products is a leading global provider of passive and intelligent hearing protection solutions, and the founder of the HearForever™ initiative. For over 30 years, Howard Leight has pursued the prevention of occupational noise-induced hearing loss through innovation in hearing protection design, technology, performance and comfort, and the promotion of progressive Hearing Conservation Programs. Leading solutions include the highest attenuating Max® single-use earplug; patented Air Flow Control™ technology for optimal earmuff attenuation; QuietDose™ personal in-ear dosimetry; and the industry-changing VeriPRO® earplug fit testing system. Visit: www.howardleight.com.
Visit the Howard Leight website at www.howardleight.com. Follow us on Twitter (@HowardLeight) at twitter.com/HowardLeight.
About Honeywell
Honeywell International (www.honeywell.com) is a Fortune 100 diversified technology and manufacturing leader, serving customers worldwide with aerospace products and services; control technologies for buildings, homes and industry; automotive products; turbochargers; and specialty materials. Based in Morris Township, N.J., Honeywell’s shares are traded on the New York, London, and Chicago Stock Exchanges. For more news and information on Honeywell, please visit www.honeywellnow.com.
“Most stereo earmuffs used in industry today provide a moderate level of hearing protection, but often sacrifice the sound quality of the attached MP3 players – which can work to discourage their use,” said Renee S. Bessette, COHC, Global Brand Manager, Howard Leight / Honeywell Safety Products. “In contrast, Sync stereo earmuffs optimize new designs and technologies that provide both hearing protection and true listening enjoyment. Sync entices usage – to deliver protection from noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) on the job or at home.”
Sync stereo earmuffs feature:
- Protection from Hazardous Noise - With an NRR 25, Sync provides ideal, consistent hearing protection and ensures appropriate attenuation in most industrial environments. Sync’s Volume Management Technology™ manages sound levels reaching the user’s ear to a safe level.
- Plug In and Go – There are no volume knobs or power switches to coordinate nor batteries to replace. Ease-of-use is enhanced by maintaining volume and power control through the MP3 device. Users simply plug MP3 players and personal audio devices and listen.
- Personal Listening – Sync can be used with a user’s own MP3 player, mobile phone and other personal audio devices, ideal for use at work or at home. Its technologically advanced acoustical bass chamber enhances bass sounds that are typically sacrificed in industrial stereo earmuffs.
- Cool, Modern Style - Sync’s earcup design is DJ-inspired, and the sound quality is on par with other professional audio headphones. Sync’s stylish design easily surpasses other industrial earmuffs. Both comfort and fit are ensured by its padded diamond-patterned headband and its reinforced forkslides that keep it in place when worn.
For more information, visit www.howardleight.com/playitsafe.
About Howard Leight®
Howard Leight/Honeywell Safety Products is a leading global provider of passive and intelligent hearing protection solutions, and the founder of the HearForever™ initiative. For over 30 years, Howard Leight has pursued the prevention of occupational noise-induced hearing loss through innovation in hearing protection design, technology, performance and comfort, and the promotion of progressive Hearing Conservation Programs. Leading solutions include the highest attenuating Max® single-use earplug; patented Air Flow Control™ technology for optimal earmuff attenuation; QuietDose™ personal in-ear dosimetry; and the industry-changing VeriPRO® earplug fit testing system. Visit: www.howardleight.com.
Visit the Howard Leight website at www.howardleight.com. Follow us on Twitter (@HowardLeight) at twitter.com/HowardLeight.
About Honeywell
Honeywell International (www.honeywell.com) is a Fortune 100 diversified technology and manufacturing leader, serving customers worldwide with aerospace products and services; control technologies for buildings, homes and industry; automotive products; turbochargers; and specialty materials. Based in Morris Township, N.J., Honeywell’s shares are traded on the New York, London, and Chicago Stock Exchanges. For more news and information on Honeywell, please visit www.honeywellnow.com.
Monday, May 2, 2011
House and Senate Champions Prepare to Reintroduce Hearing Aid Tax Credit
Representatives Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY) and Tom Latham (R-IA) and Senators Tom Harkin (D-IA) and Olympia Snowe (R-ME) are organizing Congressional hearing champions to reintroduce the Hearing Aid Tax Credit in the new Congress. Rep. Latham is the new Lead Republican Sponsor of the bill, replacing Rep. Vern Ehlers (R-MI) who retired in December. Reps Latham and McCarthy have sent a letter to every Representative soliciting support, and reintroduction is likely in April. A coalition of hearing health organizations has also contacted every past co-sponsor and urged them to support reintroduction of the bill, while AARP has again endorsed the Senate version of the bill that provides coverage for people of all ages.
As part of efforts to champion passage of the tax credit, HIA is continuing to sponsor events held by local hearing health activists in support of tax credit champions in various states. Possible venues for events in 2011 include Portland, ME; the Chicago suburbs; Henderson, NV; and northern Iowa. Contact abopp@bostrom.com for more details, or if you want to help with one of these events.
As part of efforts to champion passage of the tax credit, HIA is continuing to sponsor events held by local hearing health activists in support of tax credit champions in various states. Possible venues for events in 2011 include Portland, ME; the Chicago suburbs; Henderson, NV; and northern Iowa. Contact abopp@bostrom.com for more details, or if you want to help with one of these events.
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