LIVONIA, MI–The Fit to Serve bill, discussed last week in this blog’s update on pending federal legislation related to hearing health, got a big boost recently when Julia Beall-McKelvey, a Pennsylvania hearing aid specialist, donated $15,000 to the International Hearing Society (IHS) advocacy fund for the veteran-oriented initiative. Her contribution, along with others made at IHS’s annual meeting, provided $100,000 to support the cause.
Julia Beall-McKelvey, center, with Tom Higgins, president of IHS, and Kathleen Mennillo, executive director.
IHS launched and has spearheaded the effort to improve veterans’ access to hearing healthcare services by enabling licensed hearing aid specialists to serve as Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) providers.
Beall-McKelvey, an IHS member who has been a licensed hearing aid specialist for 21 years, owns and operates 35 Miracle-Ear franchise practices across Pennsylvania. In making her donation, she said, “Our veterans have earned the right to receive high-quality healthcare and should be able to access hearing aids through their provider of choice.”
