Royal Institute for Deaf and Blind Children have partnered with the Mid North Coast Local Health District, with surgeries to be performed at Port Macquarie Base Hospital and the newly refurbished RIDBC Port Macquarie centre.

RIDBC will now be able to aid more people with hearing loss in the region thanks to a refurbished hearing facility in Port Macquarie, which was officially opened on October 16.

Along with assessment, surgery coordination, allied health services and ongoing post-implantation support for children and adults, the centre will provide local access to essential early intervention programs for children with hearing loss and a base for regional outreach programs.

RIDBC Chief Executive, Chris Rehn, said the ongoing support required for people needing cochlear implant services in country areas is significant. 

"Partnering with the Local Health District has enabled us to provide the Mid North Coast community with a level of care that previously wasn't possible without travelling to Newcastle or Sydney," he said.

The refurbishment and upgrades to the RIDBC Port Macquarie Centre were made possible thanks to the generosity of donors, a grant from the NSW State Government and financial support from The Unsworth Foundation and Newcastle Permanent Charitable Foundation.

To date, over forty cochlear implant surgeries have been completed at Port Macquarie Base Hospital using state of the art equipment and expert RIDBC surgeons, giving people with hearing loss living in the region access to world-class care.

More than 140 people in the Mid North Coast region have cochlear implants and a further 22 are in the assessment stage.

People like retiree Margarot Malloch, who has been deaf in her left side since she was two years old, have had their hearing rejuvinated thanks to advancements in technology.

"I was offered to get surgery thanks to a cancellation and it was fairly nervewracking," she said.

"I have a button in my head for one implant and a cochlear on my left hand side."

Not able to hear for 78 years on one side, Mrs Malloch can now pick up lots of sound from both ears.

"The centre here in Port Macquarie is just fabulous," she said.

"It's the best thing that has ever happened for Port Macquarie."

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