50 Indiana barbershops trim hair plus offer health checks in April
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Indiana Black Barbershop Health Initiative yearly brings together hundreds of volunteers and barbershops to make sure Black men get the medical attention they need.
For a lot of Black men, barbershops are more than just places to get haircuts or trims. Bentley Beckham, of Indianapolis, said, “We talk about sports. We talk about what’s going on in the news today and everything. We converse.”
The Indiana Commission on the Social Status of Black Males wants to add health and wellness into the conversation. Every Saturday, the group will be providing free health screenings for blood glucose and blood pressure, and information on healthy lifestyles and exercise.
This year’s health checks will continue through April 30 at more than 50 participating locations in 16 different cities: Bloomington, East Chicago, Elkhart, Evansville, Fort Wayne, Gary, Hammond, Indianapolis, Jeffersonville, Kokomo, Merrillville, Michigan City, Muncie, New Albany, South Bend and Terre Haute. Indianapolis barbershops will host their events April 16. Participating barbershops and the dates of their events are listed online. Women are also welcome.
James E. Garrett Jr., executive director of the commission, said, “We wanted to find a way where we could engage Black men and being responsible for their own health and not managing their health by crisis (and) waiting until something happens and going to the hospital or the emergency room.”
According to the Indiana Department of Health, Black men have the highest mortality rates in the state.
The owner of Kenny’s Barber Shop, which has three Indianapolis locations, has been a part of the Indiana Black Barbershop Health Initiative since it started 10 years ago. Gregory Kenny says the initiative has made a positive impact on some of his customers. “We’ve seen quite a few customers come and they find out that they do have high blood pressure. Some of them find out that they do have the diabetes or the glucose levels are too high, and it’s the beginning of journey on the getting healthy.”
“At this day in age, it’s very important to take care of your health no matter what because, some men, we don’t go to the doctor and we don’t get checked out, but, man, we need to go do that because it’s for our own health,” Beckham said.