Hearing & Speech

Hearing (Audiology) & Speech Therapy

Offered to both inpatients and outpatients, MarinHealth Medical Center’s Hearing & Speech Department has been serving the community for more than 50 years. We offer convenient parking, short wait times, and all the latest technologies in audiology testing.

We provide a full range of diagnostic and rehabilitative Speech Pathology and audiology services for patients of all ages, including:

  • Diagnostic speech and language evaluations
  • Diagnostic audiological evaluations
  • Hearing aid consultation and evaluations
  • Newborn hearing screenings
  • Therapy for speech, language, and cognitive and swallowing disorders
  • Diagnostic swallowing evaluations with radiology services

Services for Newborns, Children & Teens

California law requires that all newborns be given a hearing screening shortly after birth. Because many smaller hospitals in Northern California do not provide this service, parents must go to a Certified Outpatient Infant Hearing Screening Provider, such as MarinHealth Medical Center, to have their newborns tested.

We are one of only three providers in the Bay Area to offer diagnostic, audiological, and rehabilitative services to newborns, infants, toddlers, and older children covered by California Children’s Services. Compared to other local facilities, we offer a shorter wait time for these services. We also evaluate and treat many children and young adults for speech-language issues such as language delays, articulation disorders, and oral motor developmental delays.

Services for Adults

More than half of us will experience significant hearing loss by the time we are in our 80s. While it is normal for hearing to diminish with age, hearing loss can also be a consequence of exposure to the loud noises we hear every day—from noise at work to loud music at concerts. In addition to evaluating patients for hearing loss, we also provide consultations for obtaining hearing aids. When the time comes to select a hearing device, our patients benefit from the attention and expertise of our professional audiologists in a comfortable, noncommercial environment.

Our speech pathology services for adults also include expert therapy for strokes, head trauma, progressive neurological diseases, and degenerative neurological conditions.

Special Collaborations

Our audiologists and speech pathologists work closely with other programs and services in Marin, including the Marin County Office of Education Hearing Impaired and Communication Disorder programs; the Golden Gate Regional Center for children with developmental disabilities; RotaCare; Marin Community Clinics; and the Schurig Center for Brain Injury Recovery.