Operation Loaner Hearing Aids offers short term hearing aids for children ages birth to 21 who have lost a hearing aid or are waiting for a replacement, a process that can take up to six months. Long term hearing aids are for those families who make between $40,000 and $70,000 and are unable to afford the cost. If the child has an educationally significant hearing loss, they may keep their hearing aids until they move out of the participating school district or graduate.
The program began in collaboration with the San Diego Unified School District. Because of its success, we have been able to open the program to both South County and East County School Districts.
Our other partner is San Diego State University. The school district refers students to SDSU’s audiology clinic where they are fitted for hearing aids. Most hearing aids for children cost $3000 each; children with hearing loss often need two. Our hearing aid cost as a non-profit through San Diego State University is $848 for one hearing aid.
Through grants and other funding sources we have been able to purchase 85 hearing aids to date to place on children in San Diego.
