UMN launches See, Hear, MN mobile health unit for vision and hearing screenings

The University of Minnesota’s Center for Applied & Translational Sensory Science (CATSS) is the epitome of an interdisciplinary collaborative. It connects scientific researchers, clinicians and community members — all in an effort to solve the challenges faced by individuals with sensory loss. 

See, Hear, MN provides free vision and hearing screenings through their accessible, air-conditioned mobile unit. Communities can book events with CATSS, the Center for Applied & Translational Sensory Science.

Now CATSS is taking its research and expertise across Minnesota with its state-of-the-art new See, Hear, MN mobile unit. The fully accessible truck features both a vision screening area and a soundproof booth for hearing tests. 

The goal is to get out into communities and provide both screenings and education related to vision and hearing health, according to Ben Eisenreich, a research engineer for CATSS.

“People don’t think about hearing health, but it has such a huge impact,” Eisenreich says. “Hearing health is related to your overall ability to interact socially. So when your hearing starts to go, you start socially withdrawing. There’s some evidence that that’s associated with dementia and cognitive decline. … We want [to have] those social connections. And having ears that work is a huge part of it. Same thing with vision. Vision is how you navigate the world and having healthy vision is really important.”

Eisenreich’s goal for the summer was to get a snapshot of the sensory health of communities across Minnesota, and to that end the See, Hear, MN truck visited Bemidji, Mower County (in southeast Minnesota), Rock County (southwest Minnesota) and Stevens County (western Minnesota), and just wrapped up a 12-day stand at the Minnesota State Fair.

Psych podcast debuts with See, Hear, MN

In the first episode of the new Department of Psychology podcast, "BrainWave on Air," host Holley Locher spoke with Andrew Oxenham, faculty, and Ben Eisenreich about the new See, Hear, MN mobile unit. Oxenham and Eisenreich discuss the inspiration behind the van, the unique engineering required to make it a reality and the research questions they are seeking to answer.

Along the way, he’s discovering the barriers to sensory healthcare that Minnesotans often face. Some may need to drive two hours or more to see an audiologist or optometrist, while a visitor in Luverne (in Rock County) pointed out that the nearest healthcare provider was across state lines in South Dakota, which wouldn’t work for their health insurance.

At the Fair

The See, Hear, MN truck was at the Minnesota State Fair for its entire duration, from Aug. 27 through Sept. 7 . Eisenreich says that more than 1,000 people used the truck for a vision or health screening — reaching people from various demographics and all parts of the state. 

The See, Hear, MN truck was at the Minnesota State Fair for its entire duration, from Aug. 27 through Sept. 7. Eisenreich says that more than 1,000 people used the truck for a vision or health screening — reaching people from various demographics and all parts of the state.  

Through the first two months, the See, Hear, MN truck had screened about 110 people, not counting the state fair visits. People see the screenings as a great resource and a great service, Eisenreich says, and being willing to listen to people’s stories is a huge part of the project.

In the community and with the community

An early August stop for the truck at the Hallie Q. Brown Community Center in St. Paul was organized in conjunction with the Hue-MAN Partnership, a coalition of community collaborators working to transform community health. 

Clarence Jones is the executive director of the Hue-MAN Partnership, which he says has done over 300,000 health screenings, including activities like this. Jones appreciates that CATSS participated in a community forum in advance of the event to talk about the truck and what it would be used for — and to get the approval of the community. 

“The truck itself was a perfect way for us to establish additional ways of testing the community, but also making the community aware of the importance of its eyesight, its balance and hearing,” Jones says. “We want to utilize the University’s resources to make our community healthier.” 

One of the St. Paul participants was Kanaka Kesavalu, a Minneapolis resident who heard about the screenings through Hue-MAN. Kesavalu had not had her hearing checked for a long while, and had been putting it off as a hindrance. But, she says, “as each year goes by, you think about your health more and more.” 

“Having these mobile trucks come and do these tests on individuals is a great opportunity, where basically it gives you the light of assessing and knowing where you’re at, and then opens up your mind to potentially seeing an ENT and looking into it further,” Kesavalu says. “It kind of motivates you to take the next step and go and see a doctor.”

This story is adapted from a story orginally published by University Marketing Communication.