Audiotech Healthcare has hired additional audiologists, opened two new clinics and relocated its southwest Calgary clinic to a more central and busy location.
In early March, Susan Gray, a certified clinical audiologist with more than 15 years of experience in clinical hearing care in Canada, joined the company's professional staff. Prior to working as an audiologist here in Canada, Mrs. Gray worked at a hospital in the Netherlands and taught audiology at the university level in South Africa.
In conjunction with the hiring of Mrs. Gray, Audiotech's Canadian operating subsidiary, Canadian Hearing Care, opened a new clinic at 6 Discovery Plaza, 3100 35th St., Vernon, B.C. Located at the north end of the Okanagan valley between Kamloops and Kelowna, Vernon is an active and growing city of more than 55,000 residents. Due to its favourable climate, slower-paced lifestyle, generous amenities and beautiful landscape, Vernon is expected to be a major retirement area over the next several decades. The Vernon location is currently operating as a part-time clinic; however, it is expected to shift to full-time operation (five days per week) in mid-June, 2004, due to the strong demand for hearing care services in the community. Mrs. Gray has also been attending the Salmon Arm and Revelstoke clinics to add capacity to satisfy the robust current demand for audiological services at those clinics.
On April 1, 2004, Audiotech relocated its southwest Calgary clinic to unit 213, 5718 1A St. SW, near the Chinook Centre. In conjunction with the move, Cherie Yanke, MSc, Aud(R), joined the company's professional care team in Calgary. Ms. Yanke recently completed her master of science degree in audiology from Portland State University, and she has a bachelor of science degree in speech and hearing sciences from Minot State University in North Dakota. She has also held a wide variety of positions in the field of audiology in both Canada and the United States.
The company is pleased to report that these key additions to its staff and the expansion of its clinic base in Canada have resulted in an immediate positive impact on revenues. The lack of audiologists graduating from various training facilities compared with the number of audiologists retiring, and the increasing demand for hearing care services as our population ages, has placed unique pressures on hearing care companies to find qualified professional staff. These recent hirings reaffirm the company's long-term view that today's audiologists prefer autonomous working environments with the professional support and administrative infrastructure that Audiotech provides. Both Mrs. Gray and Ms. Yanke left competing clinics to join the company's team. These hirings have also filled most of the voids in the company's professional staff base that have hampered the company's ability to grow its Canadian operations during the past year. The company continues to seek audiology staff to further enhance its clinic capacity in British Columbia.
Audiotech has opened a new satellite clinic in the Blackfoot Medical Center in eastern Idaho. The Blackfoot Medical Center is a facility of approximately 20 medical providers, including internal medicine, family practice, pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology, orthopedics, ear, nose and throat, and general surgery. Blackfoot, Idaho, is a regional hub servicing a population of more than 20,000. This clinic will service both medical referrals as well as the general public. It is presently staffed by employees and audiologists from the company's other Idaho clinics, and will be expanded as necessary to meet anticipated demand.