HCN News & Notes

River Valley Counseling Center Wins $50,000 Technology Makeover from Insight, Intel

HOLYOKE — River Valley Counseling Center (RVCC) announced it has been awarded a $50,000 technology makeover from Insight Enterprises and Intel. RVCC is one of three winners in the Connected Workplace Makeover Contest, which was created to help businesses address the effects of aging technology. As a winner, RVCC will receive IT consultation from Insight and $50,000 worth of new 11th Gen Intel Core Processor devices, including Intel vPro Platform PCs built for business.

“We are absolutely thrilled and incredibly appreciative to Insight Enterprises and Intel for selecting River Valley Counseling Center as a winner of this contest,” said Rosemarie Ansel, executive director of RVCC. “With the new Intel PCs, our team will be able to better service the over 9,000 children and adult clients we provide care for each year in the Pioneer Valley.”

The contest targeted small and mid-sized companies of fewer than 1,000 employees that have been particularly strapped for resources or may be struggling to adapt IT systems and processes to the shifting marketplace amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The contest focused on three areas of critical IT needs: productivity; updating tools, particularly for remote work; security; and total cost of ownership. More than 1,200 U.S. organizations submitted contest entries sharing why they needed a workplace makeover. RVCC was named the winner in the productivity category.

RVCC IT Support Manager Leonard Smith, who submitted RVCC into the contest, looks forward to the makeover. “We are thrilled and excited to be able to receive this makeover at our largest and oldest clinic, giving it the love and care it deserves just as our staff does for our clients. These machines will vastly help support our community that means so much to us.”

Intel Evo vPro PCs will allow RVCC to service clients in a timelier manner, roll out better telehealth options, stay secure, and be HIPAA-compliant. Over the next month, Insight and Intel will be conducting on-site consultations with RVCC to help the team identify the best technology upgrades for their clinic located at 303 Beech St. in Holyoke. It is expected that productivity based at this location could improve by up to 25% by replacing poorly running computers, including some still running on Windows Vista.

“Business needs and demands have changed dramatically in the last year alone, when keeping pace with new technology already was challenging enough for independent businesses in ordinary times” said Brenda Hudson, senior vice president, Commercial Business Solutions at Insight. “Each of the winners of the Connected Workplace Makeover Contest has experienced significant disruption or financial hardship during the pandemic, from having to abruptly switch to more telehealth options and shoring up the security of patient data to bringing greater stability to a widely distributed workforce. A technology makeover will put them on the fast track to more reliable performance and stronger connections with their customers and workforce however and wherever they need to engage with them.”