2023-2024
Annual Report
Questions or feedback are welcome. Please connect with us at info@nshsc.nshealth.ca.
Our Mission
To improve the lives of Nova Scotians by delivering quality audiology and speech-language pathology services.
Our Vision
Every person deserves a voice. Every voice deserves to be heard.
Our Values
Foundational to HSNS core values is our commitment to honour the cultural heritage and diversity of our communities, always doing our best to promote equity, accessibility, and inclusion in all that we do.
Message from the Board Chair and CEO
Last year marked our 60th anniversary, and we are proud of the key milestones we’ve achieved. Those achievements genuinely reflect our mission and strategic goals to enhance accessibility, communication, and engagement for the communities we serve across the province.
Left to right: Anne Mason-Browne, CEO and Mark Landy, Board Chair
Accessibility
Fun and learning in Eskasoni for the whole family
Since 2014, Hearing and Speech Nova Scotia (HSNS) has provided audiology and speech-language services to clients in Eskasoni, a Mi’kmaq community in Unama’ki (Cape Breton). HSNS staff in Eskasoni—Erin Burke, Speech-Language Pathologist, Patricia Babin, Audiologist, and Adele Lawrence, Communication Disorders Technician—ensure children and families can access services. They accomplish this by providing services at various community locations, including at home, daycare, preschool or the Old Health Centre to meet their varying needs.
Quality Improvement Project: Informed consent
In 2021, HSNS began to collect baseline information on client consent, knowing that we wanted to make improvements to our existing policies and processes.
New and improved equipment and technology
HSNS was fortunate to receive funding from the Department of Health and Wellness for the 2022-2023 fiscal year to update specific audiology equipment, which is used to measure electrical signals in the brain.
Learning from communities: Thinking about accessibility and equity
With a steadfast commitment to making our services accessible and equitable, HSNS had the opportunity to further this goal in 2023. We were able to accomplish that by working closely with the East Preston Daycare and Family Resource Centre in the historically underserved Preston community.
Communication
Client/Patient & Family Experience Survey 2023
HSNS is committed to providing high-quality services, which can be measured in many ways. One vitally important way is to ask HSNS clients how they feel about the quality of services they received. HSNS conducts a client survey annually, and the results help identify strengths and areas for improvement.
Performance Indicators
HSNS provides high-quality audiology services to all Nova Scotians and speech-language pathology services to preschool children, home-schooled children and adults. HSNS is accredited by Accreditation Canada and provides services from 37 clinics in 25 communities throughout Nova Scotia. Our Audiologists and Speech-Language Pathologists, licensed with the provincial regulatory college, received over 27,000 referrals from individuals, families, healthcare providers, educators and other professionals in the past year. Most services are provided at no cost to Nova Scotia residents with a valid health card.
Engagement
Fostering hope in the community of East Preston
Ida, from East Preston, first heard about HSNS when she brought her great-grandson, Zeondre, for a check-up visit with her family doctor. Zeondre was struggling to meet his speech and language milestones, communicating his needs with only a few words and gestures. Determined to seek help, Ida brought Zeondre to Hearing and Speech Nova Scotia for an assessment and then navigated the challenges of her demanding shift work schedule to ensure Zeondre attended his speech therapy appointments, facing numerous barriers along the way.
Talking the talk
Our clinical services have long focused on clients having input in their own care, yet we still needed to expand upon this. That meant making concerted efforts to include clients and families more broadly in the care of others and as equal partners in the organization.
Strategic partnership brings much-needed ENT services to Eskasoni
Starting in 2020, a dedicated team of partners has collaborated to provide needed audiological and Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) services in Eskasoni. The team includes Eskasoni Health, Dalhousie University research, the clinical Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) team at the IWK, and clinical and leadership representatives from HSNS.
Retired speech-language pathologist becomes board volunteer
A graduate of Dalhousie’s School of Human Communication Disorders (now called the School of Communication Sciences and Disorders), Mark Landy completed the practical portion of his degree under the supervision of clinical staff of what was then called Nova Scotia Hearing and Speech Clinic. Through several supportive and positive clinical placements, he was impressed by the professionalism of the supervising staff and the way HSNS provided comprehensive services across the province.
