Georgia Southern University’s RiteCare Center for Communication Disorders has expanded access to speech therapy for Parkinson’s disease patients through a partnership with Parkinson Voice Project (PVP). The university received a grant totaling more than $280,000 in 2023 as part of PVP’s “Campaign to Reach America,” which selected 16 universities nationally for their commitment to serving their communities through the SPEAK OUT! Therapy program.
Program Scope and Reach
According to the Parkinson’s Foundation, an estimated 1.1 million people are living with Parkinson’s in the U.S., with that number expected to rise to 1.2 million by 2030. The condition is considered the second-most common neurodegenerative disease after Alzheimer’s disease. The free SPEAK OUT! Therapy program at Georgia Southern’s RiteCare Center provides accessible, high-quality care through both in-person and remote speech therapy to patients in the community.
Clinical Impact and Research
Tory Candea, Ph.D., SLP.D., director of clinical education in the Department of Clinical Sciences at Georgia Southern and primary clinician of the SPEAK OUT! Therapy & Research Center, emphasized the program’s transformative effects. “One of the most rewarding parts of this work is watching participants rediscover their voice,” Candea explained. “When therapy is accessible and consistent, the progress people make can be truly remarkable.”
Candea worked with Assistant Professor of Psychology Robert G. Franklin Jr. from Anderson University in South Carolina to conduct research evaluating leadership qualities in patients before and after participating in SPEAK OUT! Therapy. The work was published in the Journal of Clinical Practice in Speech-Language Pathology in 2025. Candea noted that the benefits extend beyond voice strengthening: “When people living with Parkinson’s strengthen their voice, they often strengthen their confidence as well. That ripple effect is one of the most powerful outcomes we see through SPEAK OUT! Therapy.”
This article is an AI-assisted summary. All facts and figures are drawn from the original report: https://www.georgiasouthern.edu/2026/03/24/georgia-southern-clinic-continues-to-improve-access-to-speech-therapy-resources-ahead-of-parkinsons-awareness-month-2026