Lucky 13 for Jeanine

Thirteen may be unlucky for some but not Dr Jeanine Doherty of Christchurch. Jeanine just bought her 13th Suzuki Vitara!

Jeanine opened Hearing Excellence, her audiology clinic based in Christchurch, in May 2010. Months later Christchurch’s first major quake hit the region. At the time, her clinical colleague, Sandra Knight lived in what became the red zone and had interesting roads to deal with. A major part of Sandra’s role as an Audiometrist was being mobile. This meant being on the road visiting and helping patients in the community. Due to the quake damaged roads, Sandra needed a new vehicle to better navigate the difficult terrain.

Jeanine took an evidence based approach to find the best vehicle solution for their team. Although not an expert in vehicles, Jeanine is an expert in scientific examination, and was adamant colour choice wasn’t going to be the deciding factor in her purchase decision!

First up, accessibility. Jeanine and Sandra (both 163 cm in height) need to lift audiology equipment in and out of the vehicle with ease.

Reliability, after sales service and fuel efficiency were also essential. Jeanine explored several makes and models, canvassed vehicle owners and read reviews. Jeanine even asked her Suzuki driving patients for their feedback on their vehicles.

When it came to assessing Suzuki, Ronnie and Jim at Hollands Suzuki Cars were more than happy to assist. Suffice to say, after her intensive research, Suzuki came out on top, and 13 years later it’s still there!

Jeanine is confident you can’t beat the Suzuki Vitara, “It has everything Hearing Excellence needs for our work in the community”. When recommending Suzuki to others she says, “Suzuki fits all we were looking for and more. With great design, reliability and excellent service support, it’s a brand and vehicle you can trust, and that’s really important”.

Jeanine goes on to say “Building trust aligns with our own values and is how we deliver in our clinic as well”. As an independent audiology clinic, Hearing Excellence has always been patient centred. To Jeanine and now shareholder, Sandra, the relationship with patients matters much more than just taking a process approach to selling hearing aids. Their team is focused on working alongside the patient to provide the best solution for their situation. The approach is based on equality, forming a fair balance between patient and clinician, and ensuring the patient has an equal input into the outcomes.

Outside of her audiology practice, Jeanine and Sandra are actively involved with Special Olympics NZ and International Healthy Hearing. In 2018, Jeanine received the Special Olympics International Golisano Health Leadership Award.

Jeanine’s dedication to her patients, her involvement with the Special Olympics and her trust in Suzuki reflects her commitment to finding the best solutions all round.

To find out more, visit hearingexcellence.co.nz