At local hair salons, customers leave with a haircut and medical check-up

When J’Rod Franks opened Lasting Affects Barbershop in Manor in 2020, he hoped his business would be more than just a place to get a haircut. Growing up in Lockhart, he said he saw the role local barbers could play as trusted advocates for their neighbors, and he dreamed of one day running a business that way.

“I always wanted to be a pillar of the community,” Franks said. “A barbershop always knows someone who knows someone. We’re a great point of reference for people.”

The Beginnings of Barbershops as Support Spaces for Black Men dates back to the civil rights movementwhen Jim Crow laws restricted where African Americans could safely gather. Today, institutions like Franks’ continue to serve as important community centers.

So when the Black Men’s Health Clinic staff was thinking about ways to attract potential patients to the clinic, they thought of barbers. growing trend for public health activities across the country.

“With the stereotype surrounding men, doctors and healthcare, there was this idea of, ‘Yeah, a man might not feel like he’s going to go to a primary care physician, but he’s going to go to a barbershop,’” said Antonio Montgomery, who directs the Healthy Cuts program at the Black Men’s Health Clinic.

The Black Men’s Health Clinic was founded in 2022 with the goal of creating an accessible space for Black men and other men of color to address their physical and mental health. The clinic offers primary care and mental health screenings. It also has programs designed to address specific issues, such as high blood pressure and diabetes — issues that Black men experience. higher rates than the general population.

Research shows that black men are more likely to undergo these important tests if their doctor is the same race as them. Another recent study found that the presence of at least one black primary care physician in a given community prolonged the lives of local black residents.

But for those benefits to materialize, the Black Men’s Health Clinic needs to attract patients. That’s where the barbers come in, acting as ambassadors for the clinic, starting conversations with clients about health. Montgomery said nearly 30 barbers in salons from Austin to Manor to Round Rock are participating in the Healthy Cuts program so far.

“We’re not looking for hairdressers to change the way they approach their clients,” Montgomery said. “We’re looking for an organic conversation.”

For Franks, that usually means starting with something simple: “When was the last time you had a checkup?” he sometimes asks.

Montgomery hopes barbers like Franks can instill in people the importance of controlling issues like high blood pressure, cholesterol and blood glucose, while also letting them know that the Black Men’s Health Clinic offers a supportive environment.

Montgomery sometimes personally visits participating barbershops, setting up a table where men can get their blood pressure and blood sugar levels checked and learn about possible next steps.

Montgomery said the Healthy Cuts program has reached about 485 men this year. Several dozen of them were fathers who had their blood pressure checked during a recent back-to-school event hosted by Lasting Affects Barber Shop while their children were getting free haircuts at Franks.

Franks said that was exactly what he expected when he opened his store.

“My idea was to have a lasting impact on the people we meet—not just a physical transformation, but a mental transformation… and help them rise from where they are,” he said.

In addition to the prospect of better health, Franks’ clients can count on an additional benefit when they sign up for a doctor’s appointment through the Healthy Cuts program: $25 off their next haircut.