Collingwood's medical services greatly improve now that ear, nose, and throat doctors are consistently available in town

Collingwood, Ontario, April 5th, 2010: Residents of Collingwood who need to see an otolaryngologist (an ear, nose and throat doctor or ENT) no longer have to drive to Barrie to do so. Three such specialty physicians, Dr. G. Thornley, Dr. R. Ballagh and Dr. R. Hekkenberg, have partnered up with Helix Hearing Care Centre in order to provide locals with direct access to full service hearing tests that are covered by provincial health insurance.

As Collingwood grows in size, Helix is excited to extend its audiology services. The hearing clinic's registered audiologist has within her scope of practice hearing assessment, auditory rehabilitation and prescription of hearing aids; however, there are occasions when results warrant the expertise of the Otolaryngologist to provide further medical diagnosis and treatment. For parents with children who have hearing loss or who have recurring ear infections, state of the art equipment will now be available at Helix to test children of all ages. The presence of otolaryngology will mean better access for those children who suffer from recurring ear infections and require a specialist's treatment.

Dr. Ballagh, who has been serving patients from Collingwood out of Barrie his entire career, is "very excited to be in Collingwood for his patients," and Dr. Thornley believes this new development is a great opportunity to "spread the message about audiology assessments covered through the Ministry of Health."

Helix Hearing Care Centre and Dr. Hekkenberg will be present at Thursday's "Docs on Ice" hockey tournament, where they hope to inform community members about the new initiative. All proceeds from the Helix sponsored event will be donated to the Collingwood General and Marine Hospital.

To learn more about Helix Hearing Care Centre, call 877-685-5EAR (5327).