Estes Audiology in Central Texas Celebrates its 5th Year, Experiences Rapid Growth Despite Recession
Anniversary Coincides with National Protect Your Hearing Month
New Braunfels, TX (PRWEB) September 24, 2010
Estes Audiology, (http://www. hearlifeagain. com) a professional hearing healthcare provider dedicated to improving the lives of the hearing impaired and their families, will celebrate five years of serving Central Texas this October. Despite the economic downturn where many businesses have foundered, Estes Audiology has experienced increased growth.
Estes Audiology’s first office opened in New Braunfels in 2005 and now has 4 clinics with locations in New Braunfels, Boerne, Georgetown (Legacy Hills Hearing Center by Estes Audiology) and Kyle. In the past 5 years, Estes Audiology has provided healthcare services to more than 3000 patients in Central Texas. The company plans to expand further in the central Texas area in the future.
Owner and founder Soriya Estes, AuD, believes that Estes Audiology’s success story can be attributed to its emphasis in providing superior healthcare service. “I think that when we opened the practice in New Braunfels, services that were focused on rehabilitation of the hearing impaired were somewhat of an anomaly here in Central Texas. The key to our success has been our ability to fill that need,” stated Dr. Estes. “We do this through education, diagnosis, treatment and public service. We focus entirely on educating the patients and their families, making them aware of how they can protect their hearing, and giving them the best technological options for improving and protecting their hearing.”
Besides administering healthcare to its patients for the past 5 years, Estes Audiology serves the community of Central Texas. Highlights of Estes Audiology’s community service include the following:
More than 600 Austin-area musicians – individuals whose livelihoods depend on their sense of hearing - have been provided low-cost medical care and given custom earplugs through a collaboration between Estes Audiology and the non-profit Healthcare Alliance for Austin Musicians (HAAM) called the HEAR Project, which was started in 2009. Each quarter, Estes’ Audiologists and UT doctoral students donate their time for a one-day hearing healthcare clinic to screen, educate and fit HAAM musicians with custom filtered earplugs.
Since 2005, Estes Audiology has given away more than $30,000 worth of hearing aid devices to Central Texans through the Gift of Hearing program. Each year during the holiday season, Estes Audiology donates two pair of hearing aids to deserving individuals within the community who suffer from hearing loss and lack the financial resources to purchase hearing aids.
Estes Audiology teamed up in May 2010 with the SERTOMA Club to recognize Better Hearing and Speech Month by asking residents in Central Texas to donate their used hearing aids and turn them in at designated locations. 147 donated hearing aids were collected and then given to the UT-Austin Speech and Hearing Clinic for refurbishing and then distribution to underprivileged patients.
This 5th year anniversary of Estes Audiology coincides with National Protect Your Hearing month. And the facts about hearing loss are unsettling.
Over 36 Million Americans – more than 4 times the size of New York City – suffer from some level of hearing loss. 50% who suffer from hearing loss are under the age of 65. A recent report by the Journal of American Medical Association recently reported that 1 out of 5 teenagers are affected by hearing loss, a 33% increase from the 1990’s.
Truly discouraging is that one in three developed hearing loss as a result of exposure to noise, causing noise-induced hearing loss. In other words, Americans are suffering from hearing loss that could have been prevented.
In light of these statistics, Dr. Estes will commemorate this 5-year anniversary of Estes Audiology by encouraging public awareness of the dangers of prolonged exposure to loud noises. Dr. Estes was recently interviewed on Univision News 41 (http://www. univision. com/content/videoplayer. jhtml? cid=2531546) to discuss the dramatic surge in hearing loss in teenagers.
“Consumers need to be aware that there is a danger of noise at many sporting events. The level of noise at the 2010 Super Bowl was measured at 102 dB. The level of noise at the World Cup due to crowd noises and the vuvuzelas were measured at a decibel level of 113 which is louder than a chainsaw,” commented Dr. Estes. “It is my hope that our 5-year anniversary will serve as a reminder to avoid loud noises if possible. If you have to be exposed to noise, get protection.”
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