TOLEDO, Ohio — Meaningful relationships are important and for a lot of people, and some of those bonds are formed in a salon or barbershop chair.
“I love my clients and even if I don’t know you, God has really given me the gift to love people,” Crystal Sloan, owner of CrysStyles Hair Salon in south Toledo said. “When you have that private relationship and you build that trust, it’s open ground for whatever you want to discuss.”
Sloan’s salon, on Heatherdowns Boulevard is also a licensed barbershop.
She and ProMedica Cancer Institute Oncology Liaison Robin Charney, are working together to find ways to reach customers when it comes to health.
“It’s so important for all the folks of color here in the Toledo area, that they get the same resources, that they have the same health outcomes as their white counterparts,” Charney said. “The demographics for chronic disease in Black men is much higher than their white counterparts.”
April is National Minority Health Month. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, it’s “a time to raise awareness about the importance of improving the health of racial and ethnic minority communities and reducing health disparities.”
"Minority health month: it's a matter of making sure that everybody knows that minority health is important all year long," Charney said.
ProMedica’s Men’s Health & Wellness in the Barbershop initiative began in 2017 with six shops in the Toledo area. As of 2023, there are eight barbershops involved, as well as two salons that employ barbers.
Cuts and conversations
“We were seeing many African American men and women actually that were coming in with late-stage cancer,” Charney said. “[Barbers and stylists] consistently see the same people over and over, they see what’s happening with the hair, they see what’s happening in their family life, they talk about things and it’s just such an important touchpoint.”
According to Charney, she and other medical professionals bring different oncology-focused programs to the barbershops, while also talking with owners and clients about blood pressure, diabetes, CPR and medications, among other things.
It’s been a slow upstart since COVID but Charney is back in the shops and so are volunteers. There is also a barbershop advisory group where owners meet to talk about what’s needed.
The next plan is to work on a weight management program. Charney said being overweight contributes to at least 13 different cancers.
“The barbers are advocates, we’ve gone from engagement to ownership in a lot of this,” Charney said.
Sloan said she is excited to be on board.
“I really encourage health and awareness,” she said. "I encourage my clients to be proactive and not to be reactive because that way even though you can’t determine the future, with God and you being proactive, you should be able to have a better outcome than if you weren’t."
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