[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 33 (Thursday, February 28, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E276]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




IN HONOR OF THE RIBBON CUTTING FOR NEW YORK EYE AND EAR INFIRMARY'S EAR 
                               INSTITUTE

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. CAROLYN B. MALONEY

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, February 28, 2008

  Mrs. MALONEY of New York. Madam Speaker, I rise to ask my colleagues 
to join me in celebrating the ribbon cutting for New York Eye and Ear 
Infirmary's Ear Institute. This spacious new facility, located on the 
9th Floor of 380 Second Avenue, will provide hope to thousands of 
individuals who are suffering from hearing loss.
  The Ear Institute is a state-of-the-art facility that brings together 
ear specialty services from the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary, Beth 
Israel Medical Center and the Children's Hearing Institute. The $2.7 
million renovation encompasses 15,150 square feet and will provide care 
to approximately 15,000 patients each year. A center of excellence in 
auditory health care, it includes a Hearing and Learning Center, the 
Cochlear Implant Center, a Hearing and Balance Disorders Center and a 
Vestibular Rehabilitation Center. The Institute's physicians will 
include specialists in otology and neurotology, as well as some of the 
world's most respected medical researchers in otolaryngology.
  Hearing loss is America's number one birth defect and a leading cause 
of disability affecting 28 million Americans of all ages. Most adults 
over age 60 lose approximately 1 percent of their hearing annually, 
making hearing loss one of the most universal problems of aging. 
Hearing loss leaves people isolated from the community and unable to 
participate in many activities. Using innovative technology, the Ear 
Institute can literally transform the quality of people's lives. At the 
Ear Institute ribbon-cutting, I met profoundly deaf individuals who, 
thanks to innovative techniques used by the Infirmary's exceptional 
medical staff, were now able to hear, including children who could hear 
well enough to participate in mainstream classrooms, adults who who 
were able to return to their jobs, and seniors who were able to enjoy a 
better quality of life.
  The Ear Institute will build on the excellent programs that the 
Infirmary has offered for many years. The Infirmary's Cochlear Implant 
Center is one of the largest in the United States, and participates in 
numerous national and international research protocols. The Infirmary 
pioneered innovative procedures that have restored hearing to thousands 
of profoundly deaf individuals, including infants as young as six 
months and adults.
  The Infirmary also specializes in diagnostic services for people with 
hearing and balance disorders, and the new Ear Institute is equipped 
with some of the latest technology for helping diagnose problems, 
including rotational chair testing, dynamic Platform Posturography, 
pure tone and speech audiometry, advanced auditory brainstem and middle 
latency testing.
  Founded in 1820, the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary is the oldest 
specialty hospital in the Western Hemisphere and was the first hospital 
to provide clinical training to medical students. The Infirmary is 
currently a teaching hospital affiliated with New York Medical College. 
With more than 20 residents and fellows graduating each year, it is 
considered one of the finest training programs for ophthalmologists and 
otolaryngologists in the world today.
  With some of the most advanced diagnostic and treatment facilities 
available anywhere in the world, the Infirmary is often the first user 
of innovative technology, such as the first clinical high-resolution 
ultrasound biomicroscope in the United States. The Infirmary performs 
more than 23,000 surgical procedures and treats approximately 142,000 
people on an outpatient basis each year. Its Eye Trauma Center treats 
more emergency eye cases than any other facility in New York.
  Madam Speaker, I ask my distinguished colleagues to join me in 
recognizing the exceptional achievements of the New York Eye and Ear 
Infirmary and in celebrating the opening day of its new state-of-the-
art Ear Institute.

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