"Black barbershops hosting health screenings"

[TomCADem]

Nice story on volunteers providing health care to the community:

http://www.pe.com/localnews/inland/stories/PE_News_Local_E_diabetes06.47b2334.html

Black barbershops hosting health screenings

John Jefferson, the owner of Cold Cutz, a barbershop in Riverside, has a personal reason for joining a nationwide initiative that encourages black men to get health screenings for diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

Jefferson's father died from complications related to diabetes, and on Saturday, Jefferson will be opening his shop to offer more than just a haircut and a shave.

Medical volunteers will be at barbershops in the Inland area to offer free blood pressure and blood sugar testing and provide health education materials through the Black Barbershop Health Outreach Program.

"I know that it's needed," Jefferson said. "I know a lot of people, especially a lot of people of color, have trouble going to the doctor and getting regular checkups."

Jefferson said as soon as he learned about the national outreach program, he wanted to help bring it to Riverside.

[tmyers09]

1. Now would this be available to everyone?

This is a good idea, but I think it'd be kinda shitty if they turned away people of other races.

[blogslut]

3. Why would they turn away people for a health clinic?

The only reason I could think of would be if they ran out of supplies or time.

[TheMadMonk]

2. Full circle. /nt

[EFerrari]

4. Cool idea. Go to where the people are.

It reminds me of how the Young Lords in NYC "organized" a mobile city screening unit that was parking far away from any foot traffic. They hijacked it and drove it to a center of community activity. The medical crew went with it and that's how they got a lot of people screened:

MAR - MAY 1970 -- Young Lords conduct door-to-door TB testing in the Bronx and El Barrio of more than 800 people; a third test postive.

APR 1970 -- Bronx Branch and Information Center opened on Longwood Avenue.

MAY 1970 -- Chicago and New York Young Lords split. New York YLO changes name to the Young Lords Party and begins to publish PALANTE, a bilingual newspaper.

JUN 1970 -- Denise Oliver is promoted to Central Committee.

JUN 17, 1970 -- YLP liberates a TB x-ray truck and brings it into community. More than 770 people are tested in three days.

http://palante.org/AboutYoungLords.htm