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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Book club designed for stroke patients

Because no one should have to give up the joy of reading, the University Hearing and Speech Clinic at the Riverpoint campus is offering a book club for stroke patients.

The speech clinic, a cooperative program of Washington State University and Eastern Washington University, has designed the book club to support the needs of those who have difficulty reading because of neurological impairment.

“We saw a need to serve adults who have read all their lives but have lost that capability due to stroke,” clinic director Doreen Nicholas said.

The clinic, which trains students in speech-language pathology and audiology, provides comprehensive screening, evaluation and rehabilitation for speech, language and hearing problems of adults and children.

Certified speech and language pathologists and graduate students will lead group discussions about books, which also will be available on audiotape. Weekly group sessions will include worksheets and chapter summaries to help comprehension.

The first two books on the list are “Tuesdays with Morrie” by Mitch Albom and “It’s Not About the Bike” by Lance Armstrong. The first book club starts Monday. Cost is $40 for the entire duration of the club, six to 14 weeks based on the story length.

For more information, call the clinic at 358-7580.

KMC gets Magnet recognition

Kootenai Medical Center has been named a Magnet hospital by the American Nurses Credentialing Center, the hospital has announced.

“The Magnet Recognition Program identifies health-care organizations that demonstrate excellence in nursing philosophy and practice, adherence to national standards for improving patient care, leadership, and sensitivity to cultural and ethnic diversity,” according to a hospital news release.

St. Luke’s Regional Medical Center in Boise is the only other Idaho hospital to achieve Magnet status, which is valid for four years.