Premier Health Launches Barbershop Partnership

Premier Health has partnered with three barbershops in Montgomery County to increase awareness of chronic health conditions and promote healthy lifestyle choices within the African-American community.

This new program will offer free health screenings and health fairs at Serenity Salon, Deeez Cuttz Barbershop, and Man Up Barber Shop on select Saturdays from March 16 through October 26. Voluntary health screenings will feature free blood pressure, height, and weight measurements, along with a body mass index calculation and fingerstick test for A1c. The health fairs will be even larger events that also offer total cholesterol, HDL, and blood glucose screenings. Additionally, events in September and October will have a limited number of free flu shots available.

Participants in the program expressed early on that they were interested in not just opening the doors of their shops for health screenings, but in being active participants in the initiative. So the program was designed to include four weeks of training to equip the barbers to identify potential health concerns in their clients, educate them about healthy choices, and encourage them to seek health care.

Antoine Walker of Deeez Cuttz Barbershop in Trotwood explained how barbers develop strong bonds with their clients and are often seen as unofficial doctors, psychologists, or confidantes. 

“Clients trust our judgment, and they value our opinion more than anybody else,” Walker said. “They trust us with their first haircut for their child; they trust us with their first haircut getting married; when it comes to them going to prom. So if Premier Health comes in with us, they’re basically going to trust our judgment when it comes to having you there. It’s almost like we’re co-signing what you’re doing.”

Back to the March 2019 issue of Premier Pulse