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Nonprofit names 302 grant recipients to help people with Parkinson’s worldwide. 

BISMARCK, ND — For the second straight year the ɫ���� Speech Language Pathology (SLP) program is the recipient of a national grant that benefits students and their patients. Parkinson Voice Project, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, has awarded ɫ����’s SLP program its 2021 SPEAK OUT! & LOUD Crowd Grant Program.

The Speech-Language Pathology Department at the ɫ���� offers a bachelor’s degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders (CSD) and a master’s degree in SLP. The department graduated its first class in April 2020. These graduates have obtained employment both locally and nationally. The profession of Speech-Language Pathology continues to experience rapid growth with increased need for professionals. Speech-Language Pathologists serve individuals across the life span, targeting communication and swallowing abilities including speech, language, voice, stuttering, feeding, and swallowing, social language, and cognition. SLPs work in many different settings such as public schools, hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, and private practice.

“The Parkinson Voice Project grant provides free SPEAK OUT! & LOUD Crowd training to our faculty and graduate students,” said Brittany Hernandez the clinical coordinator with the SLP department at the ɫ����. “Throughout the training, students learn information about Parkinson’s disease, and how this particular program targets improved skills for those with Parkinson’s. After completing the training, students are able to provide SPEAK OUT! & LOUD Crowd therapy under the supervision of SLP faculty. The SPEAK OUT! & LOUD Crowd programs not only improve the communication skills of individuals with Parkinson’s in our community and state, but also provide our graduate student clinicians with training and clinical experiences.”

Currently, according to 2020 data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the annual wage for speech-language pathologists is $80,480. Nationally, there is a great demand for SLPs, with a projected growth of 25 percent from 2019 to 2029, which is much faster than the average for all occupations. The BLS adds, as the large baby-boom population grows older, there will be more instances of health conditions that can cause speech or language impairments, such as strokes or dementia. North Dakota had the third highest concentration of jobs for speech-language pathologists in the country in 2015, according to the BLS. Bismarck ranked as the city with the ninth highest concentration of jobs in the country.

“In total, our clinic served nearly 50 clients this past year, ranging from pediatrics to adults,” added Hernandez. “So, the grant, for which we are extremely grateful to receive, has been a win-win for not only our students, but most importantly patients who need professional help the most. Seeing the improvement and subsequent joy on the faces of those we care for and their families is very heartwarming to our students and faculty. Those outcomes and success stories are very rewarding to us, fulfilling our mission as a Christian, Catholic, and Benedictine university.”

People wanting more program information can visit ɫ���� SLP online, email enroll@umary.edu, or call (701) 355-8030 and (800) 288-6279.

Individuals interested in utilizing the ɫ���� pro-bono clinic should email SLPclinic@umary.edu, or call (701) 355-8288. More information can be found on the clinic website.

Grant recipients include hospitals, university speech therapy clinics, private practices, and nonprofit organizations. Each clinic receives therapy supplies and free training for their speech-language pathologists and graduate students. ɫ���� is committed to offering Parkinson Voice Project’s effective speech therapy program in the Bismarck-Mandan area.

This grant program honors Daniel R. Boone, PhD, CCC-SLP a world-renowned speech-language pathologist and voice expert who recognized in the late 1950s that individuals with Parkinson’s could improve their communication by “speaking with intent.” Parkinson Voice Project’s program combines individual and group therapy to convert speech from an automatic function to an intentional act.

A full listing of the 2021 grant recipients can be found .

ABOUT PARKINSON VOICE PROJECT:

Parkinson Voice Project is the only 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in the world solely dedicated to helping individuals with Parkinson’s improve their speech and swallowing.  The organization runs a speech therapy clinic in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and hosts the World’s Largest Parkinson’s Chorus.

Parkinson Voice Project’s hosts daily online speech practice sessions to support and encourage people with Parkinson’s globally.  These sessions are available on the organization’s website.

Parkinson Voice Project has trained more than 3500 speech-language pathologists in its SPEAK OUT! & LOUD Crowd program, including clinicians in Australia, Canada, Israel, Italy, Greece, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, South Africa, Taiwan, and the United Kingdom. 

About the ɫ���� 

True to its motto “lumen vitae”—The Light of Life—the ɫ���� offers education for the whole of life through cutting-edge professional programs and graduate programs animated by moral courage and leadership in chosen professions and service to the community. A private, co-educational Catholic institution, the ɫ���� welcomes students of all faiths and backgrounds.

A Christian, Catholic, Benedictine institution founded in 1959 by the Benedictine Sisters of Annunciation Monastery, ɫ���� offers nearly 60 bachelor’s, 15 master’s, and five doctoral programs—in Business Administration, Education, Nursing Practice, Occupational Therapy and Physical Therapy. The 19-sport Athletic Department adheres to its Greatness Through Virtue mission under the governance of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) conferences. With more than 3,800 students, ɫ���� has locations in North Dakota, Montana, Kansas, Arizona, Rome, Italy, as well as vibrant online offerings.