Health screenings given to raise awareness at West Philly barbershop – The Philadelphia Tribune

Patrons of Phillys Finest Barbershop located at 6122 Market St. in West Philadelphia had an opportunity to receive more than a haircut when they visited the shop on Saturday.

They were given the chance to have their blood pressure checked and receive information about hypertension and heart disease. The health initiative was organized by Khiry Carter, a registered nurse at the University of Pennsylvania Hospital.

I just want people to live lifestyles worthy of their calling, he said. What that means to me is preventative medicine or preventative care. African-Americans have a high propensity for being diagnosed with hypertension which is the biggest the number one risk factor for bigger diseases such as strokes and heart disease.

Carter said his intention was to raise awareness on symptoms among Black men.

Theres a lot of research for targeting African-American men in Barbershops, said Carter when asked why he chose to conduct a health screening at Phillys Finest.

Community health outreach have always been done in churches or in schools some of the evidence behind the barbershop approach is that you find Black men here and they are more willing to interact with one another and more willing to interact with healthcare professionals in this setting, he said.

Carter also gets his hair cut at Phillys Finest Barbershop and pitched the project to the University of Pennsylvania, a sponsor of the event.

With a team of volunteers from the University of Pennsylvania was Carters mother Justine Carter, who is also a nurse.

We had men coming in since 7 this morning and were giving men information about their diets, taking their medications and following up with their primary doctors if their blood pressure readings are high, she said.

Were doing this because a lot of Black men go undiagnosed with hypertension and hypertension can lead to strokes or heart-attacks, especially if you dont know that your pressure is running high.

Michael Bighum is the manager of Phillys Finest Barbershop. He was pleased to have the opportunity to have his barbershop used for the community initiative.

There are positive things happening in the community and some good people and I try to support them, he said.

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Health screenings given to raise awareness at West Philly barbershop - The Philadelphia Tribune