This has been an unprecedented period for our country, community, and company. Throughout this time, Chesapeake Hearing Centers’ priorities have been to take care of our patients and keep them safe, take care of our employees and keep them safe, and to maintain a viable and strong business so that we can continue to care for those important to us.
“Hearing is Essential” stated Dr. Caroline Aland, Au.D., Director of Audiological Services at Chesapeake Hearing Centers. “People are sheltering in their homes and doing their best to communicate with others via phones, through windows, doors and social media platforms. If they have any kind of hearing loss, these forms of communication become almost impossible.”
Dr. Aland also noted “Recent studies have shown that face masks make it even harder to hear”. Therefore, as this crisis endures, our staff will continue to provide limited services in most of our offices.
Drop-Box Service: We will maintain drop-box service out of our Severna Park, Kent Island, Easton, Salisbury, and Ocean Pines offices. Annapolis and Columbia patients will be serviced out of our Severna Park office. As many of you have experienced, the drop-box system works by calling 888-647-6428 to schedule a time to put your hearing aids in the drop-box outside our office. Then you wait in your car while we fix your hearing aids. Once they are fixed, we return them to the drop-box. If you have a cell phone, it is critical that we have the number to avoid any confusion while carrying out a drop-box appointment.
Telehealth Options: We are also excited to be able to help both new and existing patients over the phone or through telehealth services when possible. A variety of issues and questions can be handled through telehealth and these services have been very popular with our patients. The provider can walk you through a video conference appointment or simply talk to you over the phone if you prefer. We try to make it as user-friendly as possible by sending a link through your email. For some patients and some hearing aids, the providers can actually make programming changes and adjustments without your being in the office though you may need to be in the parking lot. Some hearing aids also have a function where you can self-check them at home. If you are in need of an adjustment, please call 888-647-6428 to see if this is an option for you.
New Patients: If you are a new patient concerned about your hearing or a loved one’s hearing, a good first step is to have a phone call with one of our providers. The latest technologies available for hearing aids are better suited for remote programming and have streaming capabilities via Bluetooth that greatly enhance communication. Please call 888-647-6428 to see how we can best help you.
Routine Cleanings: In terms of drop-box appointments, we apologize that we will need to defer routine cleaning appointments as much as possible to focus on patients whose hearing aids are not functioning properly. This will help us to avoid crowding by the drop boxes and to manage hearing aid problems despite the rolling furloughs. While before the crisis we had five providers spread among our offices plus two graduate students, we will now have three providers at a time over the coming weeks until the crisis passes. For routine cleanings and annuals, we will put you on a list to call and schedule as soon as possible when normal operations have resumed.
Chesapeake Hearing has been around since 1975 serving the community. The only reason has been able to be in business for 45 years is because the community has believed in them and continued to entrust their hearing to them. As a business that follows the Golden Rule, they will do everything we can to continue providing remarkable service to you. For more information visit our website at www.HelpYourHearing.com or call 410-647-7795.