A new nonprofit organization called SMASH (Seattle Musicians Access to Sustainable Healthcare) has arisen to provide “health education, advocacy, and healthcare” to low-income Seattle-area musicians and music-business professionals, according to its website. SMASH’s board of directors consists of Ian Moore, Jacqueline Ryall, Angila Jaeggli, Denise Stiffarm, Joleen McCauley, Steph Fairweather, and Aaron Starkey. Jaeffli, a naturopathic physician at Sage Integrative Medical Clinic, wrote on her Facebook page that SMASH was inspired by HAMM (Health Alliance for Austin Musicians), which has offered affordable healthcare to musicians in the Austin, Texas area over the last 10 years. She added that she and her SMASH cohorts are “in the process of putting together a similar program here in Seattle. A major difference is our addition of naturopathic medicine, which will provide an amazing arm of holistic and preventative medicine.”
SMASH’s mission to help working musicians is outlined below:
Subsidizing available benefits and insurance to make preventative care attractive and accessible
Serving as a referral source to complimentary and/or discounted local healthcare resources and providers
Building community to advocate for healthcare on behalf of musicians locally and statewide
