McAlester Scottish Rite, NSU Dedicate Speech Language Clinic
McAlester Scottish Rite, NSU Dedicate Speech Language Clinic
Members of the McAlester Scottish Rite joined faculty, staff and students from Northeastern State University for the dedication of the McAlester Rite Care Outreach Program Clinic at NSU-Muskogee. Picture Left to Right are Don Jones, McAlester Scottish Rite general secretary, Justin Horne, McAlester Scottish Rite director of Development, Dr. Dalton Bigbee, NSU vice president of Academic Affairs, Dr. Joyce VanNostrand, Chair of the NSU Department of Health Professions, Dr. Bob Bartheld, president of the McAlester Scottish Rite Charitable and Educational Foundation, Ashley Monks, McAlester Rite Care Clinic director, Dr. Tim McElroy, dean of NSU-Muskogee, Bill Cox, McAlester Scottish Rite Charitable and Educational Foundation board member, Amber George, NSU Speech-Language-Hearing Clinic director, Dr. Karen Patterson, NSU Professor and Program Chair of Speech-Language Pathology, Dr. Ron Schaefer, NSU professor of Speech-Language Pathology Program, Micah Baker, graduate clinician in the NSU Speech-Language Pathology Program, Jennifer Askew, graduate clinician in the NSU Speech-Language Pathology Program, and Dr. Martin Venneman, dean of the NSU College of Science and Health Professions.
MUSKOGEE Providing essential services to children in need and educational opportunities for students were the crucial points behind the opening of the McAlester Rite Care Outreach Program Clinic at Northeastern State University Muskogee. A special ceremony was held Tuesday, April 29 to officially dedicate the facility, located in the Administration Building on the Muskogee campus.
This is a dream come true for us, said Dr. Bob Bartheld, president of the McAlester Scottish Rite Charitable and Educational Foundation. We hope this is the first of several outreach clinics throughout the state.
The McAlester Scottish Rite partnered with the NSU College of Science and Health Professions Speech Language Pathology Program to offer the outreach clinic to children with speech, language and reading development delays from age 18 through 11 years.
What started out as a need to hire an employee at the McAlester Rite Care Clinic through an innovative scholarship program has blossomed into a great relationship between NSU and the McAlester Scottish Rite to provide these crucial services to children in the Muskogee area, said John Gyllin, director of Development.
The clinic, which is open one day per week while classes are in session, provides free services to children in the Muskogee area by graduate students in the NSU Speech Language Pathology Program under the supervision of a licensed speech language pathologist.
Without the generous support of the McAlester Scottish Rite, this project would not have been possible, said Dr. Karen Patterson, professor and program chair of Speech Language Pathology. The university provides the space and personnel for the clinic, with the McAlester Scottish Rite provides the financial support to operate the facility. The children receive services free of charge and out students get practical real world experience working here.
Nine children are currently enrolled in the program offered through the clinic. Patterson said that the clinic has the total capacity to work with 16 children, with local school districts sending patient referrals.
Our program at Northeastern will serve as a model for other schools across the state interested in providing similar services to children, said Dr. Dalton Bigbee, vice president for Academic Affairs. Were serving the people of Oklahoma with new and innovative programs, and this partnership will really lay the groundwork for future endeavors in this area.
With a shortfall in the number of people entering the speech language pathology profession nationwide, the expansion of this program at Northeastern provides students with professional experience necessary once they enter the working world.
Our accrediting body, the American Speech/Language/Hearing Association, has called the shortfall a near disaster in terms of the number of students being turned away from programs right now, said Dr. Ronald Schaefer, professor of Speech Language Pathology. Increasing the scholarships that are available and the practicum experiences available for our students, like the partnership with the McAlester Scottish Rite, are ways we can combat this growing problem.
The Scottish Rite is the leading private benefactor for childhood language disorders in the United States. Communication disorders are the most common problem for children, affecting more than all other disorders combined.
5/5/2008
Published: 2008-05-05 00:00:00