Recorded presentation

Mario Browne, BS, CAC¹, Victoria Garner, BS², Raymond A. Howard, MBA², Karen L. Reddick, MA³, Candice Williams, BA², Rachael J. Berget, MEd², Veronica Sansing, BS², Maya Gist, BA², Devon Taliaferro², Angela Ford, MSW¹, Edgar Duncan, PhD¹, and Stephen B. Thomas, PhD¹. (1) Graduate School of Public Health/Center for Minority Health, University of Pittsburgh, 124 Parran Hall, 130 Desoto Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, 412-624-5665, mbrowne@cmh.pitt.edu, (2) Center for Minority Health, University of Pittsburgh, 124 Parran Hall, 130 DeSoto Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, (3) Center for Minority Health, University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health, Reddick Associates, 3806 California Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15212

Despite an abundance of health care resources in the region, Pittsburgh’s African American community continues to suffer disproportionately from a burden of preventable diseases. Although there is no shortage of information about how to prevent these diseases, the African American community is clearly not benefiting from it. One of the reasons for this discrepancy is that health messages are not being delivered in the most effective and culturally appropriate manner. In September of 2002 the Department of Health and Human Services kicked off their “Take a Loved One to the Doctor Day”, a national effort to promote health and wellness in the African American community. At the University of Pittsburgh, Graduate School of Public Health, the Center for Minority Health (CMH) adopted this model and tailored it to meet local needs by partnering with barbershops, beauty salons, and health professionals to create “Bring a Health Professional to the People Day”. Our strategy was designed with the idea that trusted community members such as barbers and beauticians can be good vehicles for disseminating accurate, evidence-based health promotion messages, especially relating to preventable diseases, such as hypertension and diabetes. The CMH partnered with barber shops and beauty salons. The focus was providing health screening and health information to patrons of these shops. Health professionals were recruited via website registration. The purpose of this presentation is to demonstrate an innovative approach of the use of trusted community members to promote health and wellness in the African American community.

Learning Objectives:

• Describe a model for "trust building" within the African American communities.
• Identify strategies for developing community partnerships between local barber shops and beauty salons and the health services community.

Keywords: African American, Community-Based Health Promotion

Related Web page: www.cmh.pitt.edu

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: Department of Health and Human Services
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.

Recorded presentation