KPMAS ‘Good Health & Great Hair’ Initiative Kicks Off Third Year in Baltimore

For the third year in a row, KPMAS is partnering with three Baltimore City barbershops and beauty salons to offer flu immunizations and a wide range of health and wellness services to local residents at no cost, regardless of whether they have insurance or are Kaiser Permanente members. The program is part of Kaiser Permanente’s commitment to helping make Baltimore one of the healthiest cities in the nation.

Launched in late 2016, the public health effort is returning to three barbershops and beauty salons in West Baltimore, with the addition of “pop-up shops” in Lexington and Avenue Markets once each month. In addition to clinical health services, the program will offer career support, fitness instruction, financial counseling. The local barbershops and beauty salons that will participate in the program are New Beginnings Barbershop, Short Cutz, and Vanity the Salon. See the September schedule here.

The following clinical services will be available on the Mobile Health Vehicle, located near partner barbershops and beauty salons, to all members of the community at no cost: flu vaccinations, body mass index calculations, blood pressure checks, blood sugar screenings, HIV tests, screenings for liver and kidney disease and take-home colorectal cancer tests, and more. Kaiser Permanente members will also have the option of scheduling follow-up visits, while non-members may be referred to community clinics if needed.

Individuals who receive Kaiser Permanente screenings and health services are eligible to receive non-clinical services from community partners including Our Money Place, a financial literacy and counseling service from Bon Secours Community Works; GymGo, providing online personal training, fitness instruction, and nutrition counseling; the Pratt Mobile Job Center, providing support for job applications and job placement services; and Health Care Access Maryland, offering health education and important information on the upcoming open enrollment for the Affordable Care Act. These services promote health, wealth and equity for all who participate.

The Kaiser Permanente mobile health unit will also be on-site on Fridays and Saturdays from September 14, 2018, through December 15, 2018. Please check with local barbershops and beauty salons for the locations and times of services each week.

Kaiser Permanente encourages all Baltimore residents to participate in these programs to learn about ways to stay healthy and to get support in their efforts to achieve individual and community health.

The effort at New Beginnings barbershop is just one example of Kaiser Permanente’s work to reduce health disparities and help communities across the country. In 2017, Kaiser Permanente and Bon Secours announced Future Baltimore, a flagship partnership for West Baltimore. Future Baltimore includes the construction of a community resource center that will serve youth and adults with economic, health and social services, supported by an array of local partners.  In addition, this summer Kaiser Permanente partnered with the Mayor’s Office of Small, Minority and Women Business to bring Inner City Capital Connections, a program proven to grow established small businesses, to Baltimore.

Thank you to all of the employees and physicians who are giving their time to this important program. With your help, we are well on our way to making Baltimore one of the healthiest cities in the nation.