Virtru Gateway Powers HIPAA Compliance for Nonprofit Disability Advocate Evergreen Life Services
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"The product itself does everything we need it to do. Hits all the markers, checks all the boxes. It is fantastic. But beyond that, I've had a pretty flawless service experience."
Joseph Foran
Chief Information Officer
For over 50 years, Evergreen Life Services has been at the forefront of disability advocacy, operating community homes, healthcare facilities, and innovative programs across multiple states.
As a nonprofit organization serving individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, Evergreen handles vast amounts of protected health information daily, from medical records to incident reports - all while coordinating care across 1,800 employees and countless external partners. When every email mentioning a client's name becomes protected health information, the challenge of maintaining security without hampering their mission becomes paramount.
The Result
With Virtru, Evergreen Life Services is empowered to:
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Protect PHI across 2,300 email accounts, and eliminate security training burden through automated Gateway encryption
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Maintain seamless communication with families, medical providers, and state agencies
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Apply intelligent Security Rules that trigger encryption for sensitive data while allowing routine communications to flow freely
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Strengthen HIPAA compliance through automation
The Mission-Critical Need for Seamless Security
"Our mission is to empower and champion people with disabilities," explains Joseph Foran, Chief Information Officer at Evergreen Life Services. This mission manifests through community homes, children's programs, and a groundbreaking primary care physician facility that provides extended consultation times specifically designed for individuals with disabilities, a rarity in today's healthcare landscape.
But with this comprehensive care comes all-encompassing data security challenges. Something as simple as notifying a family that their loved one slipped in the mud requires careful handling.
"Simply saying ‘Jenny is an individual we serve’... that simple fact is protected health information," Foran notes. "We need to secure that and Jenny's name needs to be secured in that email."
With 2,300 email accounts exchanging sensitive information with state regulators, auditors, pharmacies, families, and medical professionals, Evergreen needed a solution that could protect data without creating friction for their already complex operations.
From Manual Encryption to Automated Protection
After six years of using Virtru for Gmail, Evergreen recently transitioned to the Virtru Data Protection Gateway, seeking a more streamlined approach to their security needs. The motivation was clear: eliminate human error while reducing the burden on both IT staff and end users.
"We love the idea of having the auto-encrypt and decrypt. That right there saves a lot of time in training, retraining, and service desk calls," Foran explains. "It's fire and forget. It's there. It's going to do its job."
The Gateway deployment meant that sensitive information would be protected regardless of which browser or device an employee used - critical for an organization where staff members are primarily focused on patient care, not IT protocols.
Smart Encryption Through Automated Security Rules
Rather than applying blanket encryption to all communications, Evergreen implemented Virtru's customizable Security Rules to intelligently protect only sensitive information. This granular approach proved essential for maintaining smooth operations with external partners.
"I can't imagine if every single email I sent out to all the different IT organizations that I work with, and as well as the different vendors and partners that I'm engaged with was encrypted. It would just be a nightmare for them," Foran observes. "Having that granularity is great."
The Security Rules automatically detect and encrypt emails containing protected health information while allowing routine, non-sensitive communications to flow freely. It’s a perfect balance for a nonprofit that can't afford to let security measures impede their charitable work.
The Ultimate Success Metric: Silence
Perhaps the most telling indicator of Virtru's success at Evergreen comes from what hasn't happened since implementation.
"I've got no feedback, which is the best thing," Foran says with satisfaction. When asked about partner reactions to the new system, he adds, "They have not experienced any change in the way that we do business with communications via email... If there had been a problem in the transition, we would have heard about it."
This seamless experience extends beyond just the technology. Foran praises the entire Virtru relationship: "I've had a pretty flawless service experience, as far as getting set up, getting implemented, getting the transition made... It hasn't been 6 different people in 16 different departments doing 42 different things."
Empowering a Noble Mission Through Technology
For organizations like Evergreen Life Services, where every resource saved can be redirected toward patient care, Virtru's solution delivers value that goes beyond compliance checkboxes. It allows them to maintain the highest standards of data protection while keeping their focus where it belongs - on the individuals they serve.
When asked what he would tell similar organizations considering Virtru, Foran doesn't hesitate: "The product itself does everything we need it to do. Hits all the markers, checks all the boxes. It is fantastic. But beyond that, I've had a pretty flawless service experience."
For a nonprofit that has spent five decades deinstitutionalizing care across multiple states and pioneering new models of support for people with disabilities, finding a security partner that understands both their technical needs and their mission is invaluable. With Virtru protecting their sensitive communications, Evergreen Life Services can continue focusing on what they do best - empowering and championing the people who need it most.
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