HAAM & Estes Audiology Unite for HEAR Project Screenings
Next Week at Gibson Guitar Showroom

Austin, TX -- Health Alliance for Austin Musicians will work with Estes Audiology Hearing Centers to educate HAAM's member-musicians and screen and fit them with custom ear plugs for a drastically reduced price in a program called The HEAR Project -- starting next week with the first round of clinic sessions to be held at Gibson Guitar.

"HAAM welcomes the participation of Estes Audiology in The HEAR Project, a new program that certainly furthers our mission by preventing hearing loss and giving member-musicians hope for safer, more productive careers," says Carolyn Schwarz, HAAM executive director.

The first three clinics will each serve 60 HAAM member-musicians and will be held 9 a.m.-5:30 p.m. (by appointment only) at the Gibson Guitar Showroom, 3601 S. Congress Ave., #G400, on Tuesday, August 18; Monday, October 26; and Monday, November 16.

The clinics will be used to educate, screen and make impressions of musicians' ear canals for custom-fit ear plugs. Estes Audiology Hearing Centers, under the direction of Soriya Estes, Au.D., will be assisted by audiology doctoral student-interns in the University of Texas-Austin Audiology Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders.

Made possible through grants from the Austin Community Foundation and Wofford Denius and The Cain Foundation, HAAM member-musicians will pay only $25 for the custom ear plugs. Ear plugs services are an example of important hearing healthcare issues cited in a recent survey of HAAM members as a high priority, crucial to their profession but financially out of reach. Research by the University of North Texas and other organizations suggests 30 to 50 percent of musicians report hearing problems.  

"Hearing loss is a disability that affects all ages -- with more than 65 percent of the 31 million Americans diagnosed with hearing loss below retirement age -- and can be detrimental to a musician's lifestyle and profession," says Soriya Estes, audiologist and owner of Estes Audiology Hearing Centers. "We are dedicated to preserving musicians' hearing and are delighted to be part of the HEAR Project."

HAAM provides access to affordable primary medical, basic dental, and mental health care and addiction-recovery services to more than 1,000 member-musicians annually through Seton Family of Hospitals, St. David's Community Health Foundation Leadership Dental Program and The SIMS Foundation. In four years, HAAM has raised more than $1 million, including through fundraisers and annual events such as the Corporate Battle of the Bands and HAAM Benefit Day (slated for Sept. 22, 2009), to support its primary goal: to maintain the health of the city's hard-working, professional musicians.

For more information, visit www.healthallianceforaustinmusicians.org or www.myhaam.org.