Hear and Say, an organisation supporting hearing-impaired children, is building a new tele-health centre at Ashgrove.

It will specialise in delivering services to families outside metropolitian areas.

Teagan West reports.

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The telepractice centre will be funded by a $4 million contribution from the Queensland government in addition to the $800,000 annual commitment from the government.

Lawrence Springborg, Health Minister: “It’s made a real difference, a profound difference, to the lives of so many Queenslanders and it’s the best thing the government can do on behalf of Queensland taxpayers.”

Telepractice is an eAuditory-Verbal Therapy, or eAVT program, delivering the same service and support as face-to-face programs, through video conferencing and Skype sessions.

Assoc Prof Dimity Dornan, Hear and Say: “Training both parents and children simultaneously and it’s just magic the way we can work with the parents by linking up with them one week and then with the parents and the child the second week.”

Seventy per cent of Hear and Say families live outside of Brisbane.

The new centre will significantly enhance the services and support.

Shontell, Stuart and their son Rory are one of 45 regional families already using the service from their home in Emerald.

Shontell, Stuart and Rory: “Hear and Say loaned us the laptop and we continued with Skype and it’s amazing.”

They say Rory can now have regular sessions which otherwise wouldn’t be possible.

The new centre will support an additional 200 families in 2015.

Teagan West, QUT News.