Dysphagia Outreach Project

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United States
Ruston, LA
Dysphagia Outreach Project

Our mission is to provide meaningful assistance to individuals who are affected by dysphagia.

03/27/2026

Our President, Hillary Cooper, was featured today in the news.

01/27/2026

Dysphagia Outreach Project strongly condemns the violent actions being undertaken by ICE against communities across the US. As a health equity organization focused on providing relief to low-income people with special needs, many of whom are part of marginalized communities, we cannot stress how harmful the actions by this administration have been for this population.

We've now received several reports that people with critical medical needs are currently afraid to use nonprofit resources, including ours.

To be clear, Dysphagia Outreach Project does NOT ask about Visa status or citizenship status in our application for assistance. We do not ask for social security numbers. We do not collect any information that could be used to determine legal status. We only require demonstration of medical necessity and financial need (which does not have to be a pay stub - email us for options) and a US address for shipping.

All of our recipient information is stored securely, in compliance with HIPAA requirements. We limit access to recipient information to two people. One of whom is me and the other is our Food Bank Manager. Multilingual volunteers assist us as needed on a case-by-case basis, with permission of the recipient.

Our mission from the very founding of our organization has been to help as many people as we can among the most vulnerable amongst us. If you or someone in your community needs help with dysphagia supplies, we will do our best to assist you.

If you or someone you know needs our assistance but is afraid of sharing their personal information for any reason, we are willing to work around that. Email us at team@dysphagiaoutreach dot org for specifics.

Hillary Cooper,M.A., CCC-SLP, Doctoral Candidate
President & Co-founder
Dysphagia Outreach Project

01/18/2026

Do you or anyone you know live in or within easy driving distance of Greenwich, CT?

Are you or someone you trust willing to help Dysphagia Outreach Project by picking up a carload of donated supplies and assisting us with shipping them to our warehouse? We will pay all costs.

Are you available to help Feb 5th or 6th?

If you answered yes to all of these questions, please DM US ASAP.

We have a donor whose spouse lost their health fight, but they want their unused medical supplies to go to people in need. They need the supplies gone ASAP.

Thanks as always for your support!

12/30/2025

Thank you to Karen Sheffler and SwallowStudy.com for your generous end-of-year donation! Your support allows us to keep providing free dysphagia supply access to people across the USA!

If YOU are looking for a last-minute tax-deductible donation, please consider supporting Dysphagia Outreach Project. We're 100% volunteer-run, so every penny you donate goes directly towards our mission. With the increasing costs associated with shipping supplies across the country, your financial support matters more now than ever.

www.dysphagiaoutreach.org/donate

11/24/2025

Research Participants Needed!

Are you a licensed SLP working in long-term care with adults who have dysphagia? Baylor University is conducting a research study to explore barriers and supports to using shared decision-making when recommending texture-modified diets.

✅Must work and live in the U.S.
✅Treat adults with dysphagia
✅Speak, read, and write English fluently

After completing an online questionnaire, if you are eligible and selected, you will be asked to:

🎙️Record short audio journal entries
💻Participate in a 1-hour interview

Your voice matters! Help us better understand how to support clinicians and improve patient care.

Scan the QR code on the flyer, visit bit.ly/sdmresearch, or email [email protected] to learn more and sign up!

10/20/2025

🎉 Exciting News! 🎉

Our poster, “Maximizing Dysphagia Care Resources: Evaluating SimplyThick EasyMix™ Post Expiration Date to Increase Equitable Access,” has been selected as a Meritorious Poster Session at the 2025 ASHA Convention! 🙌

Join Hillary Cooper, MA, CCC-SLP, President of Dysphagia Outreach Project, as she presents this proof-of-concept study exploring how extending the use of commercial thickeners beyond their “best by” dates could help improve health equity and access to dysphagia care.

📍 In Person: Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025 | 2:30–4:00 PM | Session ID: 8145L

💻 Virtual: Nov. 11–30, 2025 | Session ID: 8145V

We’re proud to continue advancing research that bridges science, compassion, and equitable access for people with dysphagia. 💜

10/14/2025

🇺🇸 Government Shutdown Assistance for Military & Federal Families 🇺🇸

If the government shutdown means you miss a paycheck, we know that not having critical dysphagia supplies isn’t an option.

Dysphagia Outreach Project is offering a one-time shipment of thickeners and oral care supplies—completely free for military and federal families affected by dysphagia—to help ease the burden during this uncertain time.

👉 Apply now at dysphagiafoodbank.org/shutdown

If you’d like to help us support these families, please consider donating at dysphagiaoutreach.org/donate

Dysphagia Outreach Project stands with our military and federal families—supporting those who serve our nation when they need it most. ❤️

07/31/2025

We're honored to have our hard work recognized by The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association! We are proud of the work we do to address health equity in the dysphagia world and couldn't do it without the support of our amazing donors and sponsors!

Address

P. O. Box 175
Ruston, LA
71273

Website

http://dysphagiaoutreach.org/links

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