Comprehensive hearing health program (cHHP)

Noise is the most prevalent hazardous exposure faced by all Service members, regardless of occupation or specialty. The DoD Hearing Center of Excellence (HCE) is spearheading hearing health initiatives that focus on the total population of U.S. Service members, regardless of their daily job-related noise exposure. The HCE’s Comprehensive Hearing Health Program (CHHP) is comprised of annual education, protection, and monitoring. All three of these components are required to create positive individual and organizational behavior change toward protection of hearing as a life-long priority.

Implementation of CHHP across the DoD and VA helps promote hearing as a critical sense that is worthy of protection and preservation over the course of a lifetime

It’s a noisy world, protect your hearing.

Educate

This component focuses on promoting individual and organizational change through hearing health promotion. The HCE is promoting the CHHP educational products to increase Service member awareness and understanding of the devastating effects of noise and noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL), which is an invisible injury. Military and veteran facilities can download the educational materials via HCE website.

Protect

This component involves the individual fitting and wear of hearing protection devices (HPDs) for individuals who are exposed to hazardous noise at work and at home. Service members are fitted annually with HPDs and provided individual counseling about the importance of proper wear and use of HPDs whenever exposed to hazardous noise.

Monitor

This component includes annual hearing surveillance, which is vital to hearing loss prevention. The purpose of annual monitoring is to ensure Service members maintain hearing health through-out their military career and lifetime

chhp milbook

Comprehensive Hearing Health Program (CHHP) milBook

The Hearing Center of Excellence (HCE) leads efforts to prevent hearing loss through adoption of education tools like the Comprehensive Hearing Health Program (CHHP). The CHHP is a triad approach to enhancing hearing healthcare. To be effective, it requires education, monitoring, and protection elements. All components work together to create positive individual and organizational behavior change toward hearing loss prevention. Implementing the CHHP at your local organization will ensure service members receive the necessary hearing health information and services to help them increase their knowledge and awareness of hearing health.

The CHHP milBook (CAC-enabled) site contains educational materials that you can use in promoting hearing as a critical sense worthy of protection and preservation over the course of a lifetime.

Instructions on how to access the CAC-enabled milBook site are in the below document.

CHHP milBook Access Instructions

Prevention

Quick Fact

Noise that’s too loud, too close, or that lasts too long can damage the inner ear and cause noise-induced hearing loss, or NIHL.