Barbers and Beauticians Who Care: Continuing the Journey to Reduce Health Disparities
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Date
2019-04
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Ohio State University. Office of Outreach and Engagement
Abstract
Barbers and Beauticians Who Care is a signature event that focuses on the health of African-American adults who reside in the Near East Side of Columbus, Ohio. The program was initiated in 2016 through a grant from the Ohio Office of Minority Health in collaboration between Al Edmondson, president of Making a Difference Inc., and the College of Nursing at Ohio State. Although the event has been sustained the past three years through the support of the College of Nursing, we are seeking additional funding to expand and continue our event. Barbers and Beauticians Who Care is part of a larger program, Making a Difference: Ask a Buckeye Nurse.
Description
Barbers and Beauticians Who Care is a signature event that focuses on the health of African American adults who reside on the Near East Side of Columbus, Ohio. The program was initiated in 2016 through a grant from the Ohio Office of Minority Health in collaboration between Al Edmondson, president of Making a Difference Inc. and the College of Nursing at Ohio State. Although the event has been sustained over the past three years through the support of the College of Nursing, we are seeking additional funding to expand and continue our event. Barbers and Beauticians Who Care is part of a larger program, Making a Difference: Ask a Buckeye Nurse, sponsored by the College of Nursing. Ask a Buckeye Nurse is a model for community engagement that: informs student and faculty scholarship experiences in the study of health equity; addresses the challenges to health and wellness in the Near East Side by reducing health inequities and health disparities; and empowers the community to engage in activities that promote mental health and wellness. The purpose of the program is to reduce health disparities by focusing on preventative health screening in six barber and beauty shops located on the Near East Side. The owners of the shops look forward to working with us each year in April, which coincides with Minority Health Month. It is a way that the proprietors can provide a valuable community service to their patrons. We have built trust and rapport with the residents and business owners in the community. Faculty, undergraduate BSN students, and graduate student volunteers from the Ohio State College of Nursing as well as RNs from Ohio State Wexner Medical Center East provide the free service. Services include screening for high blood pressure, high blood sugar, BMI, and stress. Patrons of the barber and beauty shops are offered the free screenings before or after they get a haircut or other services in the shops. Patrons are offered "give-a-ways" such as water bottles and stress rulers, as well as health education materials on cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and stress management. This past year, our program was featured on Channels 4 and 10 as an example of community outreach and engagement. Through our program, we have noticed that our screening finds many people with blood pressure and blood sugar levels above normal. We provide information for referrals as needed to the Total Health and Wellness Clinic at Ohio State East or the individual's health care provider.
AUTHOR AFFILIATION: Elizabeth Fitzgerald, associate professor of clinical nursing, Ohio State College of Nursing, fitzgerald.118@osu.edu (Corresponding Author); Deborah Dawson, cllinical instructor of practice, Ohio State College of Nursing
AUTHOR AFFILIATION: Elizabeth Fitzgerald, associate professor of clinical nursing, Ohio State College of Nursing, fitzgerald.118@osu.edu (Corresponding Author); Deborah Dawson, cllinical instructor of practice, Ohio State College of Nursing
Keywords
health disparities, community parnterships, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, stress
Citation
Engaged Scholars, v. 7 (2019).