By Meredith Ouellette | Director of Clinical Services
Hearing loss is a low-incidence, high-impact disability—and for infants, early identification and intervention can dramatically change the trajectory of a child’s life.
At Potomac River Clinic, we are deeply committed to closing the gaps that too often leave children waiting months for the diagnostic services they need. Timely testing is critical. Without it, families face long delays that can affect language, social, and cognitive development.
A key tool in diagnosing permanent hearing loss in infants is the Auditory Brainstem Response (ABR) test. For babies to undergo this test without anesthesia, they must remain asleep for extended periods—often several hours—while a specially trained audiologist conducts the test.
Unfortunately, low insurance reimbursement rates mean that very few providers offer ABRs. In Washington, DC, the wait time for this test can range from a few weeks to many months. These delays disproportionately affect infants from marginalized communities.
Potomac River Clinic is working to change that. With your support, we are expanding our diagnostic services to increase access to ABRs. Our goal is simple but powerful: ensure that every infant with hearing loss receives timely, equitable access to life-changing care.
Thank you for standing with us in this work. Together, we can ensure that every child has the opportunity to reach their full potential.
Links:
Project reports on GlobalGiving are posted directly to globalgiving.org by Project Leaders as they are completed, generally every 3-4 months. To protect the integrity of these documents, GlobalGiving does not alter them; therefore you may find some language or formatting issues.
If you donate to this project or have donated to this project, you can receive an email when this project posts a report. You can also subscribe for reports without donating.
Support this important cause by creating a personalized fundraising page.
Start a Fundraiser
