About Us
We have been helping the people of Ithaca for over 25 years.
Our Team
Monica Brace Van Houten, Au.D.
Doctor of Audiology
Monica Brace Van Houten, Au.D., has been the Director of Audiology Services at Racker since 2004. She received her doctorate degree in audiology from Salus University in 2004 and her master’s degree from Ithaca College in 1991. Monica is a fellow of the American Academy of Audiology and a member of the Academy of Dispensing Audiology—professional organizations that provide her with the most recent advancements in diagnostic testing and hearing aid technology. Monica holds a NYS License in Audiology and is a NYS licensed Hearing Aid Dispenser. She has experience working in different environments with many different kinds of patients, including children and adults, making her skilled at finding solutions and knowing how to best help her patients.
Kim Steiner
Patient Administration and Clinic Coordinator
Kim Steiner has worked with the Racker team for over 20 years. She is extremely knowledgeable in all aspects of hearing health, is available to help schedule your appointments, troubleshoot device issues, and answer insurance coverage questions.
Originally from Lansing, NY, Kim loves her position because it allows her to meet new people and help support them along their paths to hearing better.
Crystal Garrett
Insurance Administrator
Crystal joined the Clinic team in 2020, helping us through the COVID-19 pandemic with expert insurance processing skills. Although you may not speak with or see Crystal during your visit, she is working hard to make your experience at the Clinics the best it can be. In addition to processing claims, she is improving office efficiency by heading up our conversion to electronic health records.
Kristin Lewis
Clinic Supervisor
Kris began her association with Racker 10 years ago as a board member. She has 30+ years experience in office management and business consulting, and in 2019 was hired to provide consulting services to the Clinic. That short term position turned into a longer term role as Clinic Supervisor where she oversees daily activities and more extensive projects.
What is Racker?
Racker Audiology Clinic is proud to be a part of something bigger.
Racker, our parent agency, is a local community not-for-profit agency. Audiology is just one of the many services we provide to the community.
For over 70 years, Racker has provided strength-based support for individuals with disabilities and their families in Tompkins, Cortland, and Tioga counties. Guided by the vision of a world where all people know they belong, Racker offers programs and services to more than 3,500 people, helping them to build lasting connections and lead fulfilling lives. For more information, visit the main Racker website.
Testimonials
I would absolutely recommend Rackers’ Audiology Clinic to anyone in need of such services. "
The Racker Center’s first priority is making sure you get a hearing device that serves your needs and fits your budget. I recommend them without reservation.”
However, as time passed, I found my hearing loss was getting worse, so Dr. Brace recommended using the ConnectLine system which Oticon has developed to provide additional hearing assistance. Using this system has made a wonderful improvement for me. I now have a microphone which my wife or a guest can wear at dinner in a noisy restaurant or a teacher can wear in a class I’m attending. By my turning off the hearing aid microphones and listening to the speech of the person using the microphone, I can actually hear and converse very well with the person in a poor sound environment. Their speech is clear and intelligible. It’s the same with the TV device; I can turn off the background sound coming from the TV and clearly listen to the audio that’s streamed into my hearing aids.
Finally, with my iPhone®, I can now speak with people and understand them without difficulty. The ConnectLine system enables my hearing aids to work better than ever. I feel very fortunate to have had Dr. Brace and Oticon assisting me to get the most benefit from my Oticon hearing aids and dramatically improve my quality of life.”
Communication with my wife had become increasingly frustrating and difficult. I couldn't understand most of what my grandchildren were saying much of the time. The day I left the audiology clinic at Racker, I rejoined the human race. One of the first things I heard was a dreadful clicking in my car as I started for home with my brand new hearing aids. I thought something was terribly wrong until I realized I was hearing a turn signal for the first time in years. When I got home, the real fun started. I could hear the tea kettle; I could hear my wife talk; I could hear the dog bark—all at the same time! It was absolutely intoxicating. Soon, I found my music improving because I didn't have to sing so loud just to hear myself, and people started asking me if I had been taking singing lessons. My sax tone improved because all of a sudden I could hear overtones and harmonics that just didn't exist for me before.”