Innovative technology makeover modernizes nonprofit

Thanks to Trivalent Group's new philanthropic initiative, CompassionIT, Catherine's Health Center will soon have a complete "IT makeover" valued at over $30,000.

According to Dawn Simpson, VP of market development at Trivalent Group,  CompassionIT was a program that grew from within. " We had our engineers go to a professional development day, looking for creative ways to energize the team. Two senior engineers came back with an idea for us to do a technology makeover for a nonprofit."

The program was developed and the contest launched online. After both a public vote and an internal review, Catherine's Health Center was selected as the first recipient of makeover. Simpson adds that not only did the program generate interest from the nonprofit sector, but one of their technology vendors ended up donating cloud services that were included in the package for the winner.

Karen J. Kaashoek, executive director of Catherine's Health Center, says their organization is ecstatic over the gift, even if she is not sure exactly sure what the end result will look like. "We know where we are right now. We have very old, outdated, inefficient technology. We know there are solutions that we can't afford."

The extent of the makeover won't be known until after the Trivalent team completes an in-depth assessment of the organization. After that is finished, implementation and training will take place.

Kaashoek says easy access to medical records is critical in the healthcare industry, and as an organization relying on volunteers to get the work done, inefficient technology is a big issue. "Much of our existing technology wastes very much time, and our volunteers' time is very important. We were hoping for some new computers, but this is so much more."

To learn more about CompassionIT, you can visit the site here. You can visit Trivalent Group here, and Catherine's Health Center here.

Source: Dawn Simpson, Trivalent Group, Karen Kaashoek, Catherine's Health Center
Writer: John Rumery, Innovation and Jobs News Editor