With free screenings and hearing protection offered at the 2025 National Farm Machinery Show, the KY HEARS initiative of Heuser Hearing Institute is making hearing healthcare more accessible than ever before. Attendees of the Kentucky Exposition Center in Louisville will have free access to important hearing care procedures between February 12 and 15.
“Since we began providing hearing healthcare to patients in rural KY, we have enabled many people to finally get the appropriate care and devices that they need in order to fully engage with their families and neighbors,” said Director of KY HEARS Devon Woodlee in an email to LEO Weekly. “We remove the barriers of cost and time, and we provide continuous care for patients. This has built a high level of trust with the communities we serve.”
Bringing Hearing Healthcare into Rural Areas
Designed to increase hearing healthcare access in Kentucky, especially in rural and low-income regions, HEARS (Hearing Healthcare Equal Access Statewide) is a state-funded project. Launched in 2022, the effort has toured 26 counties giving mobile clinics, hearing examinations, and hearing devices to those in need.
“We are the only mobile hearing healthcare provider in the state in that our team of professionals’
travel to communities and provides audiological (services) to anyone who has a need. We remove the barriers of travel, cost, access, and resources. We take all insurances, including Medicare and Medicaid,” said Woodlee in an email.
What to Expect at the KY HEARS Booth
Visitors to the KY HEARS exhibit, open every day from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., can take advantage of:
- Free earplugs and training tools on noise reduction.
- Branded freebies such as pencils, magnets, and hand sanitizer
- Five-minute self-directed hearing screenings in a mobile clinic
- Expert guidance from KY HEARS team members about hearing healthcare
“At this particular event, we will screen anyone who wants a test. Based on the results, we will provide follow-up care and/or navigate them to the appropriate resources, which could be a PCP or an ENT. We will also schedule anyone who needs follow-up care with one of our clinics, in Louisville or one of the rural counties that we currently serve,” Woodlee said in an email.
The Importance of Hearing Protection for Farmers
The option to participate in the National Farm Machinery Show was inspired by a collaboration with the University of Kentucky’s Agriculture Department. KY HEARS previously completed screenings at the Kentucky State Fair when they spoke with a UK AG Department representative seeking hearing care resources for farming communities…