Hearing Matters Podcast How One Tiny House is Shaking Up Hearing Healthcare feat. Dr. Carla Smiley
What happens when a devastating cancer diagnosis collides with a lifelong passion for audiology? For Dr. Carla "Brandi" Smiley, it became the catalyst for reimagining how hearing healthcare could reach those most often left behind.
Diagnosed with bilateral hearing loss at age six, Dr. Smiley's path to becoming an audiologist wasn't straightforward. After teaching kindergarten, surviving stage four lymphoma during her doctoral studies, and working across various healthcare settings, she continually witnessed the same problem: barriers to access for underserved communities.
The solution came in an unexpected form during the 2020 COVID lockdown. While watching Tiny House Nation, Dr. Smiley envisioned a fully-equipped mobile audiology clinic that could travel directly to patients. Despite facing skeptical builders and financial hurdles, she persevered, crowdfunding her dream and creating a 15,000-pound clinic-on-wheels designed with intentionality to welcome everyone.
"I've had people who were disheveled and dirty and felt they weren't worthy enough to sit," she shares with emotion. "I tell them, 'This can be cleaned. You are worthy.'" This commitment to dignity drives her work with Head Start programs, assisted living facilities, and veterans' services.
The tiny house clinic goes beyond convenience, it transforms lives. Dr. Smiley recalls fitting hearing aids for a man in end-of-life care whose wife hadn't had a meaningful conversation with him in 20 years. After the fitting, the couple reconnected through their wedding album from the 1940s. "Those moments are why we do this," she reflects.
For hearing care professionals interested in mobile services, Dr. Smiley offers practical wisdom: start by identifying what you're already doing that could be mobilized. With headquarters now in Peachtree City and specialized services including diagnostic ABRs and auditory processing evaluations, she continues seeking grant funding to provide care at no cost to those in need.
Ready to discover how mobile audiology might transform your practice or community? Visit On Site Audiology to learn more about partnering with this innovative approach to hearing healthcare.
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