That's how Charlotte Anderson portrays the vital role that AT&T plays for ADDS Health Services. This St. Louis-based in-home health care provider serves hundreds of patients, many of whom are poverty-stricken and elderly. It's a 24 x 7 x 365 calling. And that's where AT&T comes in.

"When we prepared to open our doors, the very first call we made was to AT&T," said Anderson, who has served as operations manager since the company was founded in 2000. "We are licensed and certified with Medicare and Medicaid, and that carries with it a lot of privacy and security responsibilities. AT&T was the one company we could trust to manage those needs — plus the need to link our office staff of eight with our 40 employees in the field."

ADDS relies on a combination of wireless, broadband and wired services. "AT&T keeps us all connected," Anderson said. "Our smartphones are lifesavers when we're out in the field. Many of the patients don't have home phones, so we rely on ours for everything — including access to the Internet and e-mail." Anderson also noted that mobile phones are the single most important communications tool in ADDS' state-required disaster plan.

According to Anderson, ADDS' broadband service is crucial for transmitting and storing patient information and for electronic billing. It's also a pipeline for staff training, much of which is done via teleconference. And AT&T's local search and directory services fuel many of ADDS' referrals.

"To make a difference, you have to have a lot of heart — but also a lot of help," Anderson said. "And we always know that AT&T is right there with us."