Golisano gets CNY Community Foundation grant to aid children with hearing, vision loss

SYRACUSE, N.Y.-- Upstate Golisano Children’s Hospital is the recipient of a $33,000 grant from the Central New York Community Foundation to support equipment and programs that assist children and teens suffering from hearing impairment and vision loss related to cancer treatment and developmental conditions.

“Cancer treatment allows more than 80 percent of children and young adults diagnosed to survive, but many develop late effect medical problems,” said Thomas Welch, M.D., medical director, Upstate Golisano Children’s Hospital. “Chemotherapy and radiation can cause damage to hearing, vision and mobility, which is extremely difficult for the patients. This grant will help us give patients the tools they need to overcome these obstacles.”

The funding will be used to provide devices and services through The Upstate Center for Development, Behavior and Genetics and the Dr. William J Waters Center for Children’s Cancer and Blood Disorders.

Hearing aids and glasses will be subsidized and KidWalk 2 mobility systems will be purchased. These systems will be used during the Fit Families Group Visits program, which promotes inclusion in sports for children with vision impairment or blindness.

The Central New York Community Foundation administered this grant with funding from two separate field-of-interest funds. The J. Henry and Martha E. DeBoer Fund was established in 1977 to help children with vision or hearing impairments, as well as those with kidney disease. The J. Daniel Pluff Fund seeks to support children with special needs and their families, offering them comfort and hope.