Provider Spotlight: Dr. Alton Barron
Dr. Alton Barron with two of MTF’s distinguished board members, Diana Krall and Mark Jennings.
Dr. Barron and HAAM help hundreds of Austin musicians through years-long charity care partnership
While HAAM is here to serve the musicians of our community, we truly would not be here without the generous support of our medical community partners.
One such supporter is Dr. Alton Barron.
We are both proud and honored to work with Dr. Barron, our longest-serving physician partner and the founder of the Musician Treatment Foundation (MTF).
Dr. Barron is a shoulder, elbow and hand surgeon who has worked with numerous musicians from across the country for more than two decades. He founded MTF in 2017 after realizing the need for musicians to have better access to surgical care.
Repetitive motion injuries like trigger finger/thumb, tendonitis and carpal tunnel, are especially common among musicians, but accidents can happen too. MTF is especially vital for un- and underinsured musicians and, like HAAM, Dr. Barron refuses to allow the ability to pay to be a barrier to accessing needed care. After all, musicians can’t make a living if they are unable to play music.
Dr. Barron’s primary practice is in New York City, but as a Texas native he returned to Austin to establish a second location. A music fan, Dr. Barron soon heard about HAAM and wanted to get involved.
In 2018, Dr. Barron became HAAM’s first specialty care partner. To date, Dr. Barron and MTF have helped more than 30 HAAM musicians with a variety of upper extremity issues and injuries, providing just over $1 million in free surgical and non-surgical care to Austin musicians.
HAAM musician and well-known pedal steel guitar player, Ricky Davis, has seen Dr. Barron a few times for ongoing thumb issues in both of his hands. According to Ricky, “being a steel player - hands are everything.” Ricky had been dealing with persistent pain in his left thumb - so much so, he contacted HAAM for help and was connected with Dr. Barron.
“Being a musician, Dr. Barron and I hit it off immediately,” Ricky said. “I was born and raised in Austin and with him being a musician as well, he knew my pain.”
Although Ricky was experiencing repetitive motion injuries that would likely only get worse over time, Dr. Barron understood that surgery needed to be a last resort. They decided to pursue non-surgical care and with the help of Dr. Barron, Ricky is now “able to play free and clear for months and months and taking care of the wrist helps in between {non-surgical} treatments.”
HAAM looks forward to many more years of partnership with Dr. Barron, his commitment to Austin musicians is a huge part of how we are able to keep musicians healthy and keep music in Austin alive and well.