“It’s a community center where
people go and have unmonitored
discourse on a variety of
subjects.”
Stanley H. Weiss, an oncologist
and public health researcher at
the University of Medicine and
Dentistry of New Jersey–New
Jersey Medical School and School
of Public Health, in Newark,
works with Simons to evaluate
the prostate cancer barbershop
project. Important health
messages must come from a
trusted source, Weiss explains. And
for many men, that is their barber.
“We’re not trying to make the
barbers doctors or public health
professionals,” he says. “We’re
trying to make them that voice in
the community.”
Shop Talk began its stylist
training efforts last August,
following months of planning by
the program’s 12-member board of
beauty, medical and public health
professionals. As much as the
program’s idea made sense to its
organizers, however, getting it off
the ground wasn’t as easy as they
expected. They submitted their
first grant proposal in January
2008, and were surprised when
a national nonprofit organization
denied the request for $250,000.
(The total costs associated with
the initiative run about $100,000
to $120,000 per year.)
“The most difficult piece to swallow
was the [nonprofit’s] response
saying it wasn’t feasible,” says
Brewer-Footman, a co-coordinator
of the program and a former
morning television anchor, who
launched hair etc. with her
husband in response to her viewers’
fascination with her hairstyles.
Undeterred, the group
pressed on, cobbling together
funds—$8,000 from the Center for
Colon Cancer Research, $25,000
from the South Carolina Cancer
Alliance and $70,000 from the
American Cancer Society—to help
with pledge card printing and other
expenses. Sanofi-aventis picked up
the tab for 100-plus stylist tool kits
that included brochures and Shop
Talk–branded materials. Several
other partners gave their time to
put the program together.
“We broke the programs
down, and said, ‘What do we
Barber
Paul Simmons
(opposite page),
who works at
Linda R Barber
and Beauty
in North
Charleston, S.C.,
talks with
customers about
colorectal cancer
screening.
Hairstylists
and barbers
encourage
customers to
sign pledge
cards (left),
on which they
promise to
be screened.
