Warren Center Receives $6,229
for New OAE Test System

BANGOR, ME – The Warren Center is the recipient of a $6,229 grant from JTG Foundation to replace their Otoacoustic Emissions (OAE) Test System.

The new OAE Test System is a fast, automatic handheld instrument for testing newborn babies, children and adults. Several test protocols are available. Actual test results along with a pass or refer indication are available on the display as well as in print from a thermal printer. The user has a choice of three different lengths of cable from the unit to the probe, providing great flexibility to accommodate a variety of testing situations.
The system which was replaced is outdated and used a laptop computer with a 1995 operating system. Although the system “worked” it sometimes provided false negatives which lead to unreliable testing.

An OAE device is used with clients who are mentally or physically unable to communicate with the audiologist adequately to use the audiometer. It is utilized, often, as a follow-up for newborn screenings. As you know, babies who can “fail” testing at birth may turn out to have normal hearing, while a baby who “passes” screening at birth can later turn out to having a hearing loss. That is why it is important for new parents to bring their babies back for follow-up hearing testing using a reliable OAE Test System.
Everyone in our community should be able to communicate to the best of their ability. Communication enhances quality of life for the individuals we serve and benefits the community as a whole. For this reason the Center is pleased to be the recipient of a grant for $6,229.60 for a new Otoacoustic Emissions Test System.

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The JTG Foundation is a private foundation established by John T. Gorman, Jr., of Yarmouth, Maine, in 1995. Mr. Gorman is a grandson of Leon Leonwood Bean and a stockholder of L. L. Bean, Inc. He established the JTG Foundation in order to aid underprivileged residents of the State of Maine, enhance mental health services, improve the care of those suffering from cancer, enhance the lives of the elderly, provide for the unmet needs of disadvantaged children and enhance community services. Most grants made by the JTG Foundation are to organizations within the State of Maine.