Rockford, ILL — Friday, February 1, 2019 at 12:00pm the Center for Sight & Hearing will host a Wall-Breaking Ceremony to celebrate the expansion of the Vision Clinic. Participants will have an opportunity to take part in fun wall-breaking photos with hard hats, sledge hammers, etc. Refreshments will be served.
Why Expand? Over the past four years the Vision Clinic has experienced an average 20% growth in patient visits each year—a trend we expect to continue as the baby-boomer generation ages. The Vision Clinic Expansion will increase from 340 square feet to 2,200 feet by remodeling underutilized space within the existing facility footprint. Upon completion, the clinic will consolidate all vision services into one wing for patient convenience, feature three vision exam rooms (including one Glaucoma exam room,) and provide new state-of-the-art ophthalmic equipment that will better detect and diagnose vision issues. The Center serves as the only provider in our area for a range of life-changing services for blind and low vision patients.
The Center’s Optometrist, Dr. Jon Russell expressed, “I’m thrilled to see the Vision Clinic Expansion become a reality! It is a huge step forward that will make it possible for the Center to continue to remain the area’s leader in low vision services and impact more people’s lives.”
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ABOUT THE CENTER FOR SIGHT & HEARING A private 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization, the Center for Sight & Hearing (CSH) envisions a word in which people with low vision and hearing issues receive the support they need to enjoy full lives of possibilities. CSH provides care for anyone with vision or hearing needs, and specializes in clinical services, rehabilitation therapy programs, and outreach for people with profound vision or hearing loss. Many of CSH’s services are not available anywhere else in our 20-county service area in northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin.
History: In the late 1940’s following several house fires that involved blind people, a group of Lions Club members and their wives originated the Winnebago County Association of the Blind (WCAB). In 1953, WCAB partnered with the Lions Club to build a center that could serve as a social and recreational facility for the blind. To raise the necessary funds, the Lions sold roses once a year. Hence the Center is often referred to as “The House That Roses Built.” In the fall of 1962, the first location at 625 Adams Street in Rockford opened. In 1984, the Center expanded its mission to include services for the deaf and hard of hearing. In 2003, we relocated to the east side of Rockford near the E. State Street exit on I-90. Our nearly 24,000 square foot dual-specialty clinic has become the region’s trusted, non-profit, state-of-the-art provider for people with all levels of vision and hearing ability. Visit our website at cshni.org.Media Contact: Tricia Cratty, Center for Sight & Hearing, V.P. of Institutional Advancement, tcratty@cshni.org,