Screener brings skills home
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Barb Painter became a preschool screener for SHA's St. Paul team this past February, needing some extra cash while finishing her college degree. But she never knew the impact it would make so close to home.
After yet another abnormal reading, she insisted he see a doctor, who found he had perforated eardrums in both ears from fluid build-up resulting in a 35 percent hearing loss. In May, doctors inserted tubes in his ears, which will allow the fluid to drain and give the eardrums the ability to repair themselves. Even with the tubes, Nicholas is expected to regain only 95 percent of his hearing. If the problem had not been detected so early, he would have suffered a more significant hearing loss. "I didn't really know why I took this job, but now I say, Thank you, God, for giving me this job", Painter said. "I wouldn't have known to be so persistent if I wouldn't have become a screener."
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Last year, more than 7,000 3-, 4- and 5-year-olds in the 11-county metro area were screened by SHA. Like Nicholas, nearly 800 children were referred to hearing professionals and 610 to eye care professionals. Overall, 44 percent of the children SHA screens come from economically disadvantaged homes and 42 percent are minorities.
In addition to the Preschool Screening Program, SHA screens low-income adults for glaucoma, visual acuity and hearing. For example, at Juneteenth, the largest African American celebration in Minnesota, 25 percent of the adults screened for glaucoma were referred to ophthalmologists for further testing. For greater impact in the community, SHA partners with the Minnesota Academy of Ophthalmology and Phillips Eye Institute for several screenings throughout the year. |
Education and research
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Education and research are the other two components of SHA's mission to prevent vision and hearing loss. Last year, one million people heard messages regarding the importance of protecting their hearing from noise, fireworks eye safety, glaucoma prevention, the dangers of noisy toys and vehicle battery safety. SHA coordinated a new program in the schools in which high school students taught elementary students about their hearing. And SHA continues to be the state data collection point for eye injury data.
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We have several new public awareness initiatives planned for this year, including a joint campaign with the Minnesota Academy of Ophthalmology to reduce the number of eye injuries from the game of paintball. Over the past two years, Minnesota ophthalmologists have seen 22 paintball injuries half of which resulted in permanent blindness.
Another campaign we are working on is raising awareness of newborn hearing screening. Although a law in 24 states, newborn hearing screening testing a child's hearing in the first three months of life is only voluntary in Minnesota. Yet, this testing is critically important. Audiologists estimate that three out of every 1,000 babies are born with some kind of hearing loss a condition more common than any other for which infants are currently tested at birth. Yet it frequently goes undiagnosed until a child reaches two-and-a-half years of age. Improving the annual eye exam rate of diabetics and producing a tool to assist parents in tracking ear infections are other new projects in our future. |
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One of the Sight & Hearing Association's largest educational campaigns each year is International Noise Awareness Day. The goal of the day, which was April 12, is to educate people about the dangers of noise to hearing. As part of our efforts in Minnesota to educate people about their hearing, SHA partnered with audiologists to offer free hearing screenings and information statewide.
In response to information in the newspapers and on TV, SHA received 534 calls on its toll-free line regarding the free hearing screenings. At the screening sites, more than 300 people took advantage of the hearing screenings and 200 of those were found to have some type of hearing loss. SHA received valuable media coverage regarding the campaign, including the "KARE-11 Today" show, KARE-11 Sunrise program, KMSP-TV, KSTP-TV, WCCO-AM, the Star Tribune, the Pioneer Press, KTTC-TV (Rochester), the Brainerd Daily Dispatch, the St. Cloud Times, and numerous other weekly newspapers.
Southdale Otolaryngology, Burnsville Allied Hearing Services, Crystal Hearing Associates, Duluth Allied Hearing Services, Edina Audiologists Hearing Center, Edina East Central Audiology, Forest Lake Otolaryngology, Head & Neck Surgery, Maplewood Allied Hearing Services, Minneapolis Minneapolis Neuroscience Institute, Minneapolis University of Minnesota Physicians, Minneapolis University of Minnesota Department of Communication Disorders, Minneapolis Allied Hearing Services, Minnetonka Willmar Hearing Aid Center, Monte Branch, Montevideo Oakdale ENT, West Health Clinic, Plymouth Oakdale ENT, Robbinsdale Olmsted Medical Center, Rochester Audiology Associates Hearing Care, Roseville Professional Hearing Services, St. Cloud St. Cloud State University Department of Communication Disorders, St. Cloud Allied Hearing Services, St. Louis Park Audiology and Balance Center, St. Louis Park Associated Hearing of St. Paul, St. Paul Otolaryngology, Head & Neck Surgery, St. Paul Stillwater Medical Group, Stillwater Northwest Medical Center, Thief River Falls Fairview Lakes Regional Medical Center, Wyoming |
From humble beginnings, Hermundslie family defines true generosity
Family of Medtronic co-founder is SHA's largest donor
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Minneapolis native Elaine Hermundslie will tell you she hasn't done anything
extraordinary during her 79 years. Yet, as generous as she is humble, Mrs. Hermundslie and her family have helped literally thousands of Minnesotans in their fight against blindness.
For 25 years, the Hermundslie Foundation has generously supported the work of the Sight & Hearing Association (SHA). Today, this foundation is SHA's largest contributor. "My husband always said, Money doesn't do that much good in the bank", explained Mrs. Hermundslie. "So, the more we can do for others the better. That's our philosophy." That philosophy stems from a deeply rooted Christian faith. In fact, it all started at church when, at the age of 14, she met Palmer Hermundslie in Sunday school. They dated for seven years and married in 1942. A pilot in the Air Force, Palmer underwent routine physicals every six months. During one of those physicals, doctors discovered he had diabetes. Leaving the Air Force and California, the Hermundslies moved back to Minneapolis in 1944. Palmer went to work for Daytons and then for Stark Lumber Company. During this time, Palmer and his brother-in-law, Earl Bakken, dreamed about starting their own company.
The next day, Palmer quit his job at the lumber company, Earl left his graduate studies, and together they formed a medical equipment repair company named Medtronic. That was 1949. Fifty years after their modest beginning in a northeast Minneapolis garage, Palmer and Earl's legacy is now a $4 billion company and the world's leader in medical technology equipment. As a result of diabetes, Palmer's health began to deteriorate in the late 1960s. Three years before he died, Palmer lost his eyesight because of diabetic retinopathy. In April 1970, he died of kidney failure. That same year, the Hermundslie Foundation, which he established before he died, became active. The foundation is a family affair. Son Gerald is the administrator and daughter Gloria is on the board of directors. They support organizations helping people with diabetes, kidney problems and blindness. Mrs. Hermundslie keeps a close watch on her own vision. She has early signs of macular degeneration, a disease where the central vision deteriorates with age. She also has had operations on one eye for a detached retina and a cataract. Yet that hasn't stopped her from living independently - driving, reading, or doing her own bookkeeping and housework. Above all else, family is where Mrs. Hermundslie counts her true wealth. In addition to her son and daughter, who are both married, Elaine has three grandsons and five great-grandchildren, who all live near her in Tucson, Ariz. "I'm a very lucky lady," she says, referring to her family. "When you get older, you realize you don't need much." |
| Bequests and Trusts Mr. Virgil Adkins Mr. Albert Hoh Ms. Elizabeth Bjokne
Founders $50,000+
Sustainers $5,000-$30,000
Benefactors $2,500-$4,999
Presidents $1,000-$2,499
Sponsors $500-$999
Patrons $250-$499
Directors $100-$249
Contributors $50-$99 |
Friends $1-$49
Memorial/Honor Gifts
Memorial Gifts:
Otalie Borgmeier
Honor Gifts:
Special Thanks |
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After practicing with the screening equipment, Painter decided to test her grandson's hearing with a tympanometer, which measures the flexibility of the eardrum. Two-year-old Nicholas Lee failed the screening. Because he was completing antibiotics for an ear infection,
Painter decided to check him again three weeks later. Nicholas reading was still abnormal, so Painter's daughter called the doctor who said there was no reason for concern. Waiting three more weeks, Painter tested Nicholas again.
"One day, I finally told him, You're always talking about it, why don't you do it?" recalls Mrs. Hermundslie.