Kaiser Permanente of the Mid-Atlantic States and New Beginnings Barbershop are teaming up to offer free flu immunizations and preventive screenings in a Southwest Baltimore neighborhood near Union Square and Hollins Market.
Kaiser Permanente (No. 2 on the Fair360, formerly DiversityInc Top 50 Companies list) experts including physicians and nurses will be on site at the barbershop to engage visitors in conversations about health and wellness and offer flu vaccinations and preventive screenings at no cost to participants.
“This first-of-its-kind initiative is part of Kaiser Permanente’s commitment to closing health disparities and reaching the entire community,” saidBernadette Loftus, MD, associate executive director,The Permanente Medical Group. “By partnering with New Beginnings barbershop a well-respected and pioneering institution in Baltimore we are providing community members with no-cost preventive care and engaging them in conversations about their health and wellbeing.”
Kaiser Permanente professionals will be on hand to offer the following services at no charge: flu vaccinations, body mass index calculations, blood pressure checks, blood sugar checks, HIV tests and take-home colorectal cancer tests. These services will be available at no cost regardless of whether visitors are Kaiser Permanente members. Kaiser Permanente members will also have the option of scheduling follow-up visits, while non-members may be referred to community clinics, if appropriate.
New Beginnings, located at 1047 Hollins St., is a unisex, family-oriented barbershop owned by Troy Staton. Staton’s passions for cutting hair and art combine to create a unique art gallery within a barbershop and a place that is as much community center as small business.
“New Beginnings is much more than a barbershop,” said Staton. “We are passionate about helping our customers become the absolute best versions of themselves. We know you can’t do that unless you are healthy and take care of yourself and that is why we are partnering with Kaiser Permanente.”
The program is available on Fridays from 3 to 6 p.m. and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The final day of the effort will be Saturday, February 25. The winner of a daily raffle gets two movie tickets.
The effort at New Beginnings barbershop is just one example of KaiserPermanente’s work to reduce health disparities and help communitiesacross the country.
Learn more about the company’sThriving Communities work.
