April 5, 2018

Holston IT: The Technology Experts!

Holston IT: The Technology Experts!

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Brad Jenkins,
Executive Director, MRSHC 

“We trust the technology experts of Holston IT to keep our network  secure and running smoothly.”

Mountain Region Speech and Hearing Center was founded in 1974 by the Junior League and the Sertoma Club of Kingsport.

MRHSC provides infants, children, and adults with evaluation, treatment, and education for speech, language, hearing, and swallowing disorders.

25% of 65-year-olds have disabling hearing loss, and that increases to 50% for 75-year-olds.   So, hearing loss affects all of us—either you yourself have needs or you know and love someone who does.  Similarly, speech and language issues affect all of us.

MRSHC was founded with the goal of making care for such issues accessible to all.  Through the United Way, Speedway Children’s Charities, and other generous donors, MRSHC is able to offset the cost of these services for those who do not have insurance.

If you or someone you love has trouble hearing or speaking, contact us!   Our experienced team of professionals would be delighted to serve you.

Mountain Region
Speech and Hearing Center

301 Louis St., Suite 101
Kingsport, TN
(423) 246-4600
www.mrshc.org

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by Brad Jenkins, Executive Director, Mountain Region Speech & Hearing Center

“Improving Communication Through the Ages” is the tagline of Mountain Region Speech & Hearing Center.  Our team helps people of all ages communicate their needs, thoughts, and desires.

Technology is essential to our day-to-day operations.  For many years, though, our computer budget was typical of what you’d see in a busy non-profit—the line item may as well have said, “IT: Just Scrape By.”   We had no server, so important documents were stored in many different places.   To share documents, we had to email them back and forth.  We had a mismatch of different types of computers with different software versions on them.

In 2016, we received a grant to upgrade our technology.   We looked for a partner to help us invest those funds wisely, and we’re so glad we found Holston IT.   Installing the new equipment was pleasant and low-stress.  The Holston IT team, especially Logan, patiently worked with each person and each computer until all was running smoothly.

Our technology has maintained its fast and reliable performance since then.  Now we can just grab needed documents from the shared drive on our server.   If we need to move from one computer to another, everything is the same.   We know that our essential data is backed up.  If we do have issues, we just call Holston IT.  They either give us an answer over the phone, or remote in and fix things quickly.    I’ve had no performance issues with my computer; it runs the same every day.

When we switched to new EMR software, a lot of behind-the scenes work was needed.  I just told Holston IT, “Talk with this EMR company and tell them what they need.”  It was very complicated, working with three companies to make sure all the interfaces on our system were working together properly.    I was glad I did not have to deal with it!

Even though we are not-for-profit, we are still a business.   We have to make a profit to stay in operation.   The difference is that any excess at the end of the year must go directly back into our organization to purchase equipment, supplies, testing materials, etc.   Managing all of that is what I do, and I’m glad to have the technology experts on the Holston IT team managing my network so that I can focus on my work.

The work we do here is life-changing.   Most of our patients are children who come to us for speech therapy.  We also provide audiology services for both children and adults.    I love the work I do.  It’s an honor to be the leader of this great team, which is making such a valuable impact on the lives of our patients and their families.

A key part of leadership is not trying to be an expert at everything.  I don’t want or need to be a computer expert.   I trust Holston IT to be the technology experts, looking out for our best interests.   I put my time, energy, and focus on being an expert at leading the MRSHC team to better serve our patients.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]


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