FAIRFIELD, Conn.—Sacred Heart University is one of only 16 institutions of higher education that the Parkinson Voice Project (PVP) recently selected to help develop SPEAK OUT! Therapy and Research Centers across the country. The PVP awarded Sacred Heart $60,000 to increase its clinical outreach in support of the SPEAK OUT! initiative.
SHU’s speech-language pathology program manages the only college-based clinic in Connecticut chosen this year to receive the grant and help advance the PVP’s specialized, research-based speech therapy program as part of its Campaign to Reach America initiative. A nonprofit organization based in Richardson, Texas, the PVP is committed to helping people with Parkinson’s regain and retain their speech and swallowing abilities.
Staff and students at SHU’s on-campus speech clinic already have been trained in the SPEAK OUT! method. The funding will enable SHU to expand the clinic, which offers free services to individuals with Parkinson’s disease, by paying for increased service-learning opportunities for students. The grant also will accelerate promising Parkinson’s treatment studies by funding additional graduate research assistants.
“We aim to increase our presence within the community as a service-driven, graduate training program. Amazing work is done when graduate student clinicians can provide needed service to their clients while gaining valuable clinical practice and knowledge in their field of study,” said Cristina Pino, clinical assistant professor of communication disorders.
“We are honored to have been selected for this amazing opportunity. We will continue to devote our time to providing essential SPEAK OUT! services to individuals statewide who are determined to live their best life with Parkinson’s disease,” Pino said.
The new SPEAK OUT! Therapy & Research Centers across the country will specialize in offering free online therapy, eliminating barriers that prevent thousands of people with Parkinson’s from receiving speech treatment. “This will enable patients who are homebound, don’t drive or who live in rural areas to now receive the speech therapy they need while eliminating insurance and financial challenges,” according to the PVP website.
Many individuals with Parkinson’s who develop speech disorders face barriers to treatment, including lack of information and transportation, and a limited number of service providers, which negatively affects their access to quality services. “We want to increase our role in removing these barriers to service in Connecticut,” Pino said.
Pino will work with Ciara Leydon-Korn, professor of communication disorders, and Natasha Moran, adjunct professor of communication disorders, in overseeing SHU’s SPEAK OUT! Therapy and Research Center. “The services are meant to be delivered via teletherapy to improve client access to the program. However, services may be provided in person at a client’s request. All services are provided at no cost to the client,” said Pino.
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About Sacred Heart University
As the second-largest independent Catholic university in New England, and one of the fastest-growing private doctoral institutions in the U.S., Sacred Heart University is a national leader in shaping higher education for the 21st century. SHU offers nearly 90 undergraduate, graduate, doctoral and certificate programs on its Fairfield, Conn., campus. Sacred Heart also has a campus in Dingle, Ireland, and offers online programs. More than 10,000 students attend the University’s nine colleges and schools: Arts & Sciences; Communication, Media & the Arts; Social Work; Computer Science & Engineering; Health Professions; the Isabelle Farrington College of Education & Human Development; the Jack Welch College of Business & Technology; the Dr. Susan L. Davis, R.N., & Richard J. Henley College of Nursing; and St. Vincent’s College. Sacred Heart stands out from other Catholic institutions as it was established and led by laity. The contemporary Catholic university is rooted in the rich Catholic intellectual tradition and the liberal arts, and at the same time cultivates students to be forward thinkers who enact change—in their own lives, professions and in their communities. The Princeton Review includes SHU in its Best 388 Colleges–2023 Edition, and Best Business Schools–2023 Edition. Sacred Heart is home to the award-winning, NPR-affiliated radio station, WSHU, a Division I athletics program and an impressive performing arts program that includes choir, band, dance and theatre. www.sacredheart.edu