A Number of Exciting Things Happening at Salus

Every year at the start of the fall semester there is an air of excitement on campus, as new students arrive and become acclimated. I, too, am excited to see them become focused as they embark on their professional education and future careers.

At Salus, we are actively engaged in advocacy and teach our students to practice within the broadest scope of their individual professions while also understanding the importance of legislative regulations. Most recently, the Food and Drug Administration issued its final rule establishing the new device category of over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aids for use by adults in an effort to reduce the cost of these devices and expand availability.

Now effective, OTC hearing aids can be purchased in person, by mail, or online, without a requirement to involve licensed healthcare professionals, such as physicians, audiologists, or hearing instrument specialists. From a pure public health perspective, this ruling expands hearing aid access and utilization for patients who need but are reluctant to obtain hearing aids due to cost. For the practicing professional, however, we recognize this ruling would cause a disruption in service models with a high dependence on devices.

Our experts in the Osborne College of Audiology (OCA) stress that the FDA did not comment on the importance or value of professional services provided by audiologists. The FDA recommends consumers consult with professionals in several circumstances, including the diagnosis of hearing impairment and the fitting and continued use of OTC hearing aids. This is why I stress that all of our faculty and alumni work within state and national organizations to further their respective professions and keep pace with national trends within the rapidly expanding areas of healthcare delivery.

The combined issue of the alumni magazine and annual report will showcase a number of exciting activities including the completion of the state-of-the-art facilities for our new Orthotics and Prosthetics (O&P) program; a historical perspective of our Department of International and Continuing Education (DICE); a unique interdisciplinary collaboration with a local museum; and more.

As landmark achievements go, congratulations are also in order for our Occupational Therapy (OT) program as we celebrate its 10th anniversary. In addition, our Orientation and Mobility (O&M) and Vision Rehabilitation Therapy (VRT) programs are celebrating 30 years of approval from the Department of Education. We are so proud to be home to these nationally distinguished programs!

In 2023, look for news involving major renovations to the first floor of the South building designed to enhance student life, including the cafeteria and a new student lounge on our Elkins Park campus and for ways you can help to realize this through your generous contributions.

Thank you for everything you do to support the mission of Salus University, our community and your professions.

With best wishes of the season and the New Year to each of you.

Michael H. Mittelman, OD ‘80, MPH, MBA, FAAO, FACHE