Across his career, Brett has been drawn to issues of social justice and equity, especially when it comes to the welfare of children or others who are marginalized. He instinctively understands the deep impact one individual can have on the life of another, for good or for ill. From the very beginning, Brett knew he wanted to be a force for good – fighting for the inclusion of kids who couldn’t fight for themselves. As evidenced by all he has accomplished during his 10 years as CEO at HHI, that drive is complemented by his ability to understand and address the larger systemic issues and problems that create barriers to the development and success of individuals with disabilities.
Brett is also tenacious and never quits. When he hits an obstacle, Brett learns from it and finds a way around or through it. This is due in large part to the fact that Brett truly loves Kentucky and its people. The information shared above illustrates that such love and commitment has born good fruit in the form of programs, services, clinics, and initiatives that HHI’s early founders could never have dreamed of. He is laser-focused on developing better opportunities across the state and leveraging the expertise of HHI to help close the education and employment gap for deaf/heard of hearing Kentuckians.
Since its original inception as the Louisville Deaf Oral School in 1948, Heuser Hearing Institute (HHI) has been tireless in serving the hearing needs of Kentuckians. During the recent COVID-19 pandemic, HHI became aware of how dramatically underserved many rural Kentuckians are when it comes to hearing healthcare. As a result, Kentuckians that are deaf or hard of hearing rank 51st in the nation for high school completion and are often unemployed or significantly underemployed. Determined to improve those outcomes, Brett began a dialogue with the governor and state legislature about expanding HHI’s services and developing a program to address the hearing healthcare gap apparent throughout the state.
Out of that discussion, the KY HEARS program (Hearing Healthcare Equal Access Reaching Statewide) was born, and state funds were allocated enabling HHI to develop a program designed to address the need for improved and expanded hearing healthcare services across Kentucky. The KY HEARS project was granted initial funding for the span of two years. The program had a successful first year. Phase one (August 2022 – April 2023) saw KY HEARS visit 17 counties, screen 2,000 patients for hearing loss, develop 6,500 community outreach opportunities, acquire 296 industrial patients, and schedule 147 new patients for follow-up appointments at Heuser Hearing Institute (HHI). The program also developed four thriving partnerships, created five KY HEARS sponsorships, and established five HTM kiosk locations now successfully serving Kentuckians across the state. KY HEARS also offers industrial hearing screenings that enable technicians to detect hearing loss as part of OSHA industry requirements.
In the year ahead, KY HEARS seeks to continue removing barriers to hearing healthcare throughout Kentucky by bringing HHI’s services into communities all across the state. By bringing services into the community, hearing healthcare is more accessible, enabling Kentuckians in rural areas to benefit from key health resources without traveling far from home.
The program has also introduced new resources in 2023, including free specialized telecommunication equipment provided by the Kentucky Commission on the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, a foundational KY HEARS partner. Looking ahead, KY HEARS will collaborate with local facilities across five Northeastern Kentucky counties to provide hearing healthcare resources and testing to local community members that would otherwise lack access.
Brett works to reduce the stigma around hearing loss and improve access to hearing healthcare by being an advocate for patient-centered care in the press, on industry panels, with the legislature in Frankfurt, and with lawmakers in Washington D.C. He strives to understand the larger systemic issues and problems that create barriers to the healthcare access and equity of individuals with disabilities or those with lower economic status. Rather than addressing only the symptoms – he and the staff of HHI work to get to the root cause of issues and develop and implement programs that create lasting change. For example, HHI’s innovative Listen Up project serves those that actively volunteer in their community through a church or other nonprofit, by providing free hearing aids and maintenance care. To date, this project has provided more than $150,000 in free hearing aids and services to those who are actively volunteering and making a positive impact in their local communities.
It’s also been established that individuals with hearing loss are often very good in more technical positions. So, Brett and the staff of HHI adjusted their curriculum to include more STEM learning to support advancement into higher paying, technical careers.
HHI has also significantly expand its community outreach efforts through the development and implementation of the Heuser to You program that originally launched in 2018. This program includes a partnership with the Family Health Centers (FHC) network, not-for-profit community health centers that provide a variety of health care services to more than 43,000 patients in Louisville Metro each year, regardless of a person’s health insurance status or ability to pay for services. Through this partnership FHC refers patients to HHI for hearing care, enabling HHI to increase the number of low-income patients receiving hearing screenings, care, and device maintenance. In addition, the Heuser to You program enabled clinicians to visit local residential homes and retirement facilities to provide hearing care throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, regardless of a patient’s ability to pay for services.
Under Brett’s leadership, HHI is also continuing to strive to address educational disparities through new or expanded early learning services, providing additional resources to high-poverty school districts, and offering educational services including tutoring or after school programs as well as services to assist with social, emotional, and mental health needs.
The KY HEARS program and HHI also collaborate with individuals in rural areas who want to work by helping them find employment or navigate assistance organizations that can help with job placement so that those with hearing loss can rejoin the workforce or elevate themselves from a position of underemployment.
To learn even more about Brett and his accomplishments, click on the links below!
Brett Bachmann Bio: https://thehearinginstitute.org/bio/brett-bachmann/
2020 Most Admired Louisville CEO: https://www.bizjournals.com/louisville/c/get-to-know-our-2020-most-admired-ceos/13604/most-admired-ceos-brett-bachmann.html
2022 Nonprofit Visionary Leader: https://www.bizjournals.com/louisville/news/2022/08/24/nonprofit-visionary-leader-brett-bachmann.html
KY Hears – Care is Hear: https://kyhears.org/