AUSTIN, Texas — The Health Alliance for Austin Musicians (HAAM) and Estes Audiology are celebrating a 15-year partnership of hosting hearing clinics in Central Texas.
Ever since 2008, HAAM and Estes Audiology have been hosting hearing screenings, counseling for conservation and protection and custom-fitted filtered earplugs for local musicians.
“We are so honored to have continued our partnership with Estes Audiology for 15 years,” Paul Scott, CEO of HAAM, said. “Hearing health is a basic need for musicians, as hearing is an essential and irreplaceable tool for music-making, and Estes provides comprehensive auditory services, including hearing screenings and custom fit earplugs, to HAAM members.”
Every single HAAM member has access to hearing health care through the Hear Clinics. Members can attend one Hear Clinic every year and are eligible to purchase one set of earplugs for a $25 co-pay. The clinics are held four times a year at the HAAM office.
One of the events will be held on Tuesday, April 11, at 10 a.m. at HAAM's headquarters, located at 3036 South 1st St.
A week before the event, eligible members are notified by email with an invitation link to reserve a spot. HAAM detailed in the release that the spots fill up within hours of the link being sent.
"[It] highlights the necessity of these services to local musicians," a press release stated.
“We are thrilled to be recognizing our 15-year partnership with the Health Alliance for Austin Musicians,” Kelli House, managing partner of Estes Audiology, said. “Lifelong exposure to loud music puts musicians at risk for hearing loss and disorders such as constant ringing, degraded pitch perception or intolerance of loud music. Proper screening can help to reduce unnecessary stress on musicians' auditory systems, which is why this partnership is so critical.”
HAAM and Estes Audiology have been able to provide over 6,000 screenings and custom earplugs to members since the partnership began. In addition to the screenings, the HEAR Project provides 400 custom earplugs with their annual budget. The services provided at the clinics cost $1,000 and include:
- A hearing screening
- Counseling to understand the results
- Visual inspection of the ear canal, with a wax removal if deemed necessary
- Impressions for fitted musician earplugs
The custom earplugs are different from standard foam earplugs that people can buy at the store. These earplugs attenuate at different decibel filters, as compared to normal pones that attenuate "flat across the frequency spectrum," according to the release.
The filtered earplugs attenuate at four different strengths: 10, 16, 20 and 25 decibels.
Donor funding, minimal co-pay amounts and discounted rates from Estes Audiology have allowed the HEAR Project to provide these services to protect low-income local musicians. More information regarding the Hear Clinics, HAAM and supporting Austin's musicians can be found on HAAM's website.