ALCOA, EARBUS STRENGTHEN TIES

Chontae Hayden, Coordinator for the Alcoa Foundation Earbus Program, prepares a Harvey Primary School student for their hearing test

Thanks to support from Alcoa Foundation, Earbus can continue delivering vital ear health services for Aboriginal and at-risk children in Kwinana, Peel and the Upper South West regions for at least another three years.

The commitment builds on generous funding Alcoa Australia has provided to Earbus in this part of WA since 2018. To date, Alcoa’s support has enabled Earbus to conduct ear assessments for about 1,350 children across 33 schools, day care centres and early learning centres, with rates of hearing loss dropping from 11.6 per cent to 4.7 per cent in that time.

Earbus Foundation of WA CEO and Co-founder Dr Lara Shur said the partnership is an outstanding commitment to the health and wellbeing of children across the region. "This program is crucial for improving the lives of some of the most at-risk children in Western Australia", Dr Shur said.

Earbus works in partnership with a range of organisations, including South West Aboriginal Medical Services (SWAMS).