5 minute read
Personal Hearing Loss inspires thriving audiology practice
from September 2024
by Johnston Now
A husband and wife team have joined forces, using their unique skill sets and personal experiences to start a medical practice that has been serving Johnston, Wayne and surrounding counties since 2019.
Dr. Kathleen and Jordan Coates have different roles in running the family business, but they share one very relevant, and unlikely, thing in common: They both have hearing loss.
For Dr. Coates, it began with a ringing in her ears in college. “At the time, my pending degree was speech and hearing science,” she said. “I remember sitting in a classroom learning about tinnitus and saying to myself, ‘Wait, not everyone hears that ringing?’ After that, I met the university's clinical audiology team and they performed testing and an MRI and was diagnosed with tinnitus and high pitch hearing loss in my left ear.
“I was so intrigued by the science and art of the field, being able to perform diagnostic testing and using evidencebased practices as well as building relationships with patients and tailoring a treatment plan unique to each person. I thank God for my tinnitus because I truly feel it was His calling for me to become an audiologist and to be able to relate to patients on a different level.”
Shortly after meeting Dr. Coates, Jordan was diagnosed with Meniere's Disease, an inner ear and vestibular disease that affects hearing and causes tinnitus and vertigo. Because of her previous work with a neurotologist physician and surgeon in Raleigh, Dr. Coates was able to recognize the signs and help her husband receive early intervention for his condition.
These experiences have allowed them to relate to their patients with a deeper level of understanding and compassion. The two combined their skills to open their clinic in Smithfield.
“Our skill sets work really well together,” Jordan said. “She loves being an audiologist and adores her patients. And, her patients just love her. I see how much she cares for her patients; it is evident in the way that she treats them. I’ve never met someone who can make a person feel like they’ve been listened to like she can. That’s the biggest reason our clinic has grown: patients can tell our staff really cares for them.”
While Dr. Coates was gaining the education and experience needed to become an audiologist, Jordan, a Smithfield native, was developing the skills he would later use to run the business end of the practice.
“I worked for the Deacon Jones Auto Group for about 10 years,” he said. “Being a manager at Deacon Jones was one of the best things that could have happened to me in terms of preparation for running our business. That job taught me about managing employees, interacting with different types of people, coming up with creative solutions to problems and doing business the right way. I’m incredibly thankful to the Jones family for that experience.”
Coates Hearing Clinic is a full-service audiology practice that specializes in hearing, balance, cochlear implants and other audiological disciplines.
Most importantly, they pride themselves on taking the time to really get to know their patients. “We are thankful to be able to spend a lot of time with patients in today’s fast-paced world of healthcare. We could see many more patients if we shortened up our appointments, but that’s not in line with our mission. We believe that, if we take great care of our patients, everything else will fall into place and the practice will be successful,” said Dr. Coates.
“Hearing aids aren’t all we do, but it’s what we get asked about the most. Instead of hearing aid salespeople, like you might encounter at a chain hearing aid store, you’ll see a medical provider, a doctor of audiology, at our clinic. We work with most insurance companies and have price-match programs for insurance discount plans, so our patients will never pay more to come here versus another practice.” Jordan said.
They have used their success to expand, opening up a second clinic in Goldsboro, and to give back to the community. “In 2023 we created the Coates Community Giving Pledge. Through this, we pledge to donate five percent of our monthly profit to local churches and nonprofits that are doing good work in Johnston and Wayne Counties and beyond,” Jordan said. You can check out a list of these organizations at coateshearing.com/community.
They also attribute their growth and success to building an incredible team that treats their patients like family.
“I can’t stress this enough: we have an incredible staff,” said Dr. Coates.
“We learned very early that we needed to hire good people, people who are kind, in order to create an organizational culture that fosters teamwork and puts patients first. We couldn’t do any of this without them,” said Jordan.
There’s a Bible verse from Matthew posted at their front desk: “He that hath ears to hear, let him hear,” Matthew 11:15, KJV.
“That verse sums up our mission and calling. Our team has the knowledge, ability, equipment and resources to improve the lives of a lot of people through better hearing” said Dr. Coates. “We’re ready to help and here to serve our patients and their families.”
Coates Hearing has four doctors, two locations and a third one planned for next year.
For more information, please visit coateshearing.com.
