On March 1, 2018, Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions (RMUoHP) will officially open a new clinic: the Rocky Mountain Center for Communications Disorders in Provo, Utah. This clinic will be run by faculty and students in the Master of Speech-Language Pathology (MS SLP) program and will be open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. Select appointments will be available on Mondays and Wednesdays.
Wendy Chase, MA CCC-SLP, an assistant professor and the Director of Clinical Education for the MS SLP at RMUoHP, describes who can be accepted as patients at the clinic: “Anyone may receive service if there is a waiting list; persons who are uninsured or underinsured take precedence. The main purpose of this clinic is to habilitate, rehabilitate, and maintain the ability to communicate across the lifespan.” Ms. Chase adds, “For those whose insurance or school system cannot provide adequate service and for those who are uninsured, this clinic can support improved function and quality of life in the face of communication, cognition, or swallowing disorder or difference.”
At the Rocky Mountain Center for Communication Disorders, students are involved in every stage of client care-from evaluation through the treatment process. Ms. Chase states, “I hope that students gain an appreciation for the need for high-quality interprofessional healthcare, that they can demonstrate holistic practice, and that they learn that nothing is too good for the clients in their care.” In addition to RMU’s students participating in the clinic, Ms. Chase notes that most of the faculty are involved in clinical work. “Some run special programs like the work at a local memory center for the elderly. Others provide services in the clinic in their area of specialty. Dr. Sechtem is a specialist in voice assessment and management of tracheal esophageal puncture, for example,” says Ms. Chase.
At the Rocky Mountain Center for Communication Disorders, both students and faculty will have the opportunity to evaluate all areas of speech, language, cognition, fluency, literacy, and swallowing across the lifespan. Faculty and students will also evaluate the patients to determine the type of treatment services needed.
Ms. Chase hopes that this clinic becomes a resource for the community. She hopes that the clinic provides valuable assistance for persons with aphasia, for individuals post brain injury, for children with speech and sound disorders (not impeding their learning) that need to be remediated, for newborns and toddlers who need additional speech and language assistance, and for many others.
If you or someone you know could benefit from the services offered at Rocky Mountain Center for Communication Disorders, or if you have any questions about the clinic, call (801)734-6821 or email rmouhpclinic@rm.edu or visit http://rmuccd.org.
“I hope that students gain an appreciation for the need for high-quality interprofessional healthcare, that they can demonstrate holistic practice, and that they learn that nothing is too good for the clients in their care.”
