OtiCongress 2018, held August 8-16 in Anchorage, Alaska, created a unique platform for hearing care professionals to combine professional development with the opportunity to put their professional expertise to work to benefit Native Alaskan children and adults. More than 100 US hearing care professionals participated in the week-long event that combined educational sessions on the latest hearing health care research, technology and trends with a series of humanitarian missions to rural communities in southwest Alaska.
"OtiCongress offers hearing care professionals a chance to exchange their latest ideas and knowledge about the practice of hearing care and at the same time, donate their time and talents to provide sustainable hearing care to underserved populations," said Oticon President Gary Rosenblum. "Humanitarian outreach has become a core component of OtiCongress, taking us to impoverished villages in Fiji, mountain outposts in Argentina, and this year, supporting hearing health care delivery to rural Native Alaskan communities. Whatever the location, it is always gratifying to experience the level of commitment and compassion OtiCongress participants bring to these life-changing missions."
Knowledge-Sharing and Informal Discussion
A key focus for the OtiCongress professional development sessions was the powerful technologies and business support that will empower hearing care professionals to succeed in an evolving hearing health care marketplace. Participants explored the way that the newest hearing solutions support practice growth and how partnerships with proven leaders in a range of essential practice-support services can help them expand their practice and improve the patient experience. Dedicated sessions looked at the ability of new technology and fitting strategies to not only improve patient satisfaction today but to create the foundation for a future of hearing solutions that deliver more choice for patients and a competitive advantage for the practice.
Humanitarian Outreach to Native Alaskan Populations
For the OtiCongress 2018 humanitarian missions, Oticon partnered with the Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corporation (YKHC), a Tribal Organization that administers a comprehensive health care delivery system for 58 rural communities in southwest Alaska. Hearing care professionals attending OtiCongress who received a temporary license to practice in Alaska volunteered for a series of missions to support YKHC in delivering sustainable hearing care and hearing aids to adults and children. The volunteers provided hearing tests to more than 250 patients and fit nearly 150 hearing aids donated by the non-profit Oticon Hearing Foundation.
For more information on Oticon's professional development and business support services, visit www.oticon.com/professionals/business-support-services. Learn more about the Oticon Hearing Foundation's support of hearing care professionals participating in humanitarian missions around the world at www.oticonhearingfoundation.org.
