Marywood University’s Aphasia Group Wins National Award
SCRANTON, PA—Marywood University’s Aphasia Group, under the direction of Marla Kovatch, M.A., CCC/SLP, clinical instructor for the communication sciences and disorders (CSD) department at Marywood University, was recently awarded Outstanding Support Group by the National Stroke Association 2014 Raise Awards Committee.
The 2014 Raising Awareness in Stroke Excellence (RAISE) Award Committee announced seven winners from the more than 460 nominations. The winners were named across different categories, including Most Creative, Most Impactful, Outstanding Group and more.
Marywood University’s Aphasia Group offers free, community-service support. The group includes people living with stroke at any stage of their recovery, as well as family members and caregivers. Through group discussion, organized language, and reading skills, the group aims to encourage independence while maximizing speech, language, and reading skills.
Every member of the Aphasia Group is paired with a speech-language pathology graduate student who assists the individual needs and skills of the person with aphasia. The group provides ways to challenge their members in speech, language, and literacy, while offering inspiration, motivation, and empowerment.
To read the article and list of award winners, visit http://support.stroke.org, or for additional information on the aphasia group at Marywood University, contact Marla Kovatch, at 570.348.6299, extension 2259.
Members of Marywood University’s Aphasia Group:
First Row (left to right)
Joe Schmidt, Jean Gantz, Walter “Babe” Gantz, Helen Howley, Norma Serino, Ariel Muhs, Morgan Leitold, Laura Drake, and Anna Hall
Second Row (left to right)
Sarah Walker, Emily Osborne, Jim Hughes, Jane Howley, Kathleen Brogan, Ben O’Hara, Dick Cook, Kim Miebach, Kelsey Gallagher, Danielle Plunkett, Anne Widenhofer, and Marla Kovatch, clinical instructor for the communication sciences and disorders department at Marywood University.