Going to the barbershop just might save your life.

Sept. 16 was national “Take a Loved One… Going to the barbershop just might save your life.

Sept. 16 was national “Take a Loved One to The Doctor Day,” which was founded to bring attention to the gap in health services and general life expectancy between African Americans and the rest of the population. Recognition of the day encourages people to get friends and family members to make appointments for check-ups.

However, Pitt’s Center for Minority Health, along with other foundations and medical societies, sponsored “Take a Health Professional to the People Day,” in order to point out the lack of medical information readily available to Pittsburgh minorities. The center sent medical professionals from various fields into Pittsburgh barbershops to provide information about minority health concerns.

At The Natural Choice, in Oakland, Leon McCrea and Lestina Clay, two fourth-year medical students at Pitt’s School of Medicine and Public Health, joined dental and pharmaceutical experts to answer questions throughout the day.

“Mostly, we’re trying to start a dialogue about what people know about health care, and we’re encouraging them to get regular check ups,” McCrea said. “By going to barbershops, you meet people on their own terms and establish trust, because if people trust you, they’ll respect your opinion about changing to a healthy lifestyle.”

The disproportionate number of minorities who suffer from diabetes and heart disease has caused much concern among health professionals.

“A lot of these are silent diseases that become chronic the longer they go untreated,” Clay said.

The students gave out information sheets and brochures, along with a “Passport To Health.” The small, blue booklet looks like a U.S. Passport, but contains useful health information and lists for record keeping, meant to help people keep track of their own health.

“The passport empowers the individuals to take control of their health,” McCrea said.

Though people at shops throughout the city approached the medical students and professionals with questions, their specific medical concerns varied from shop to shop.

At Mark Anthony Beauty Salon in Oakland – one of the nine Pittsburgh barbershops participating in the program – Monique Higginbotham, a volunteering pediatrician, said she talked to a pregnant woman about prenatal care.

Earlier in the day, two volunteers from Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic offered information about the availability of mental health services.

Ina Jones, a graduate student researcher for the center, talked to people about obesity and the need for proper nutrition and exercise.

The day was vital in creating greater community health awareness, according to Dr. Stephen Thomas, the director of the Center for Minority Health and the Phillip Hallen Professor of Community Health and Social Justice at Pitt.

“We are the premier medical public health system in the city, and right in the shadow of this system, there are people suffering because they’re not getting the information and treatment they need,” Thomas said.

He also emphasized the importance of getting health professionals into the community, both for the professionals and the people they try to reach.

“This day is a two-way street. We’re getting health professionals out of the clinical environment and into neighborhoods with people they don’t normally see in their offices,” Thomas said. “You’ve got to go where the people are.”

Thomas related an example of the immediate impact the day had on educating people about their health.

“Today, a man who saw our setup outside the shop came over during a break from work and decided to get his blood pressure checked,” Thomas said, describing a person who sought help at the Sittin’ Pretty Salon and Day Spa in the Hill District. “This man’s blood pressure was so high from hypertension that we referred him to a hospital on the spot to get immediate medical attention.”

The Center for Minority Health’s complete program, which also encompassed the events on Sept. 16, is called the “African American Health Promotion Campaign: Countdown to 2010.”

Among its many goals, the program aims to train barbers to use Automatic External Defibrillators – emergency medical machines that electrically shock the heart muscles and, hopefully, jolt it back into a regular rhythm in the event of a heart attack. Defibrillators usually cost $3,000 a piece, but, according to Thomas, the center has negotiated the manufacturer’s price down to around $1,000 a piece.

The center is still raising money for the program.

The program also hopes to give barbers access to laptops with wireless Internet connections to the National Library of Medicine as an educational supplement. Representatives demonstrated this element of the program at Bat’s Barbershop in East Liberty during the day.

“We want barbers to be partners with medical professionals within the community,” Thomas said.

Anthony Jefferson, who cuts hair at Mark Anthony Beauty Salon in Oakland, said he gets health related questions from customers all the time.

“People ask me, ‘Why’s my hair falling out?’ and I tell them, unless it’s hair-product related, that probably their blood’s not healthy,” he said. “If you’re anemic, or your blood pressure’s too high, or you’re not getting enough iron or protein, your hair’s like an antenna, and it’s gonna be one of the first things affected.”

Information packets passed out at barbershops covered information on Type-2 diabetes, AIDS prevention, breast self-exams and ways to quit smoking, among other health topics.

They also contained the center’s Web site address, www.cmh.pitt.edu.