Community members can now do one stop shopping when it comes to their barber and their health. Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Medicine students will launch the second Barbershop Health Check on Nov. 14. The project gives the community the opportunity to have their blood pressure and Body Mass Index (BMI) checked.
Kweku Hazel, second-year medical student and co-chair of Barbershop Health Check, said the focus is to raise awareness in the community about personal health and preventable disease, particularly hypertension and obesity. “Blood pressure and obesity can be controlled,” Hazel said. “The reason why we use barber shops and beauty salons is because we want to conduct these health checks in an environment people feel comfortable in.”
Soheil Daftarian, second-year medical student and co-chair of the Barbershop Health Check, said medical students will disperse among 12 barber and beauty shops to help with blood pressure and BMI checks. “At the shops, we will educate employees and customers about various health care issues, namely blood pressure control and BMI, and the importance of seeking appropriate and timely medical attention,” Soheil said. “So many times people realize that there is a problem, but they do not know what to do about it. This is where we can help.”
The barber shops and beauty salons listed will participate in the Barbershop Health Check between 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and are free to the public at these locations:
• Cut the Chase: Beauty and the Barber, 1819 Parkway Drive
• Bronze Lady Salon, 1716 East Broadway
• Gipson’s Barber Shop, 1802 East Broadway
• Lubbock Hair Academy, 2844 34th
• Paul’s Barber Shop, 815 Main
• E’s Barber Shop, 508 East 23rd
• CNJ’s Barber Shop, 2803 Slide
• Da Barber Shop, 1704 East Fourth
• Garza’s Hair Cutters, 108 University
• Talk of the Town Beauty Shop, 510 E. 23rd
• Indiana Gardens Barber Shop, 3414 34th
• Navarrette’s Barber Shop, 1928 19th
Ajay Reddy and Natalie Frieh, coordinators for the project and second-year medical students, added that in addition to the electronic blood pressure cuffs already donated, electronic weight scales, BMI charts, and educational material will also be available in every shop for the customers use. “We are trying to raise awareness so the community can take their health into their own hands,” Reddy said. “We want to let the Lubbock community know that the medical professionals being trained in this city are here for this community.”
In addition to medical students, volunteers will also include Anita Thigpen Perry School of Nursing, the TTUHSC School of Pharmacy, and the TTUHSC School of Allied Health Sciences students.
For more information, contact Hazel at (832) 247-4003 or Reddy at (832) 545-7894.
