Speech Therapy

Much More than Talk

The Speech Therapy Department at St. Mary’s Medical Center understands how speech and communication difficulties can affect a person’s well-being and quality of life. Our highly trained team provides comprehensive evaluations and treatment plans for young adults to geriatric clients, all the while continuing St. Mary’s tradition of a holistic approach to wellness. Using state-of-the-art treatments, we are prepared to care for patients with a wide range of diagnosed conditions, including speech-language or communication disorders, cognitive impairments such as problem-solving, sequencing or memory and swallowing difficulties.

For further information, contact us at 816-655-5684

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Why Choose St. Mary’s?

St. Mary’s Speech Therapy Department provides the highest standard of care for both inpatient and outpatient services. Our individualized treatments include video swallow studies, dysphagia (difficulty swallowing) treatment and speech therapy assessments. And, because we understand waiting for an appointment may impact recovery, we strive to schedule your appointment as soon as possible.

VitalStim Therapy: A Revolutionary Swallowing Treatment

Thousands of people find their quality of life is compromised because of difficulty swallowing, known as dysphagia. Now, VitalStim, a revolutionary treatment offered at St. Mary’s, is helping people learn to swallow again.

What is VitalStim?

VitalStim is:

An innovative, painless treatment option which stimulates the swallowing muscles with small electrical currents.
Provided by certified specialists who also help retrain the swallowing muscles.
The only neuromuscular electrical stimulation approved by the FDA for treatment of dysphagia.

Who benefits from VitalStim?

Anyone with dysphagia may be a candidate.
Dysphagia is prevalent in the elderly, but occurs more frequently in people who have experienced a stroke, Parkinson’s or other neurological diseases or head and neck cancer.
Research shows a 98.4 percent improvement in swallowing function from VitalStim. In addition, 97.5 percent of people with severe dysphagia were no longer dependent on a feeding tube.
VitalStim provides better and faster results than traditional swallowing therapies.

People suffering from dysphagia should consult their physicians, who may refer them to St. Mary’s Speech Therapy Department for an assessment. Our specially trained speech pathologist will discuss the best treatment options.

St. Mary’s speech therapy outpatient evaluations and treatment services may be scheduled through physician referral by calling 816-655-5700.
For more information on St. Mary’s speech therapy services,
call 816-655-5684 or 816-655-5700.