HAIR Wellness Warriors - For Your Health News

HAIR Wellness Warriors have come together from across the nation to protect communities from ravages of the flu and COVID-19 as well as cancer screenings, lupus, clinical research and diabetes by providing education and outreach through barbershops and salons. In order to save lives during this unprecedented time, communities need to get vaccinated quickly – and addressing the underlying reasons why people are unsure about getting vaccinated will require an approach that focuses at the hyperlocal level to understand people’s beliefs and concerns, encourage conversation, and spark a vaccination movement at the community level.

The Health Advocates In-Reach and Research (a.k.a. HAIR) Wellness Warriors has partnered with the National Minority Quality Forum’s Center for Sustainable Health Care and Equity (NMQF-SHC) Health Champions Program to expand the Wellness Warriors program, which is deeply rooted and successful in the Baltimore, Md., region, to 20 additional geographical locations across the country to increase both awareness and COVID-19 and influenza vaccination rates in African American and Hispanic communities.

Meet some Wellness Warriors who are making a difference!

Find a Wellness Warrior

Rapid Testing and Home COVID-19 Test Kits

HAIR Wellness Warriors believe in the importance of regular COVID testing and the use of KN95 tests. To help make these accessible we now have at-home COVID tests and KN95 masks at some of our Wellness Warrior locations and have provided some resources to ensure proper use of at-home tests.

Influenza and COVID-19 Rapid Response Training for Barbers and Stylists

Flu Vaccine Training (Start Here)

Flu Vaccine Training: Ask a Pharmacist

Flu Vaccine Training: Ask a Pharmacist (Pt 2)

COVID-19 Rapid Response training space

Welcome to the COVID-19 Rapid Response training space. Watch the brief video below to get an introduction to the initiative.

COVID-19: Booster Training

Bonus: Cleaning Chemical Safety & Monkeypox

Introduction to Our Training Spaces

Welcome to Our Training Space

Welcome to Our Training Space
Please begin your journey by viewing this introduction hosted by Dr. Reed Tuckson, titled “Making It Plain: The Colors of COVID-19–Barbershop and Salons from Vaccine Hesitancy to Confidence.”

Introductory Webinars
Below is a selection of past live zoom Webinars to introduce you to being a community COVID-19 resource. Each webinar is about an hour and a half long.

What to Expect
Hello!
Thanks for joining our online training for Shots at the Shop! You are on your way to being an outstanding COVID-19 Resource in your community.

How to Complete the Course
For this course, there are 5 “modules” or topics. In each module, there will be two things you need to do to complete the module.

Watch the video(s)
Reflection Question(s)

The videos cover important topics about vaccines and things to think about when you’re talking with customers. The reflection questions give you a moment to stop and reflect on what you’ve heard, and how this applies to you and your shop.

Questions
If you have questions about the course, email hair@umd.edu

Module 1: How My Barbershop/Salon Became a COVID-19 Education and Vaccination Site

Shots at the Shop

An Inside Look at a Salon that Turned into a COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic

Reflection Questions
What are your three key takeaways from viewing the module content on Shots at the Shops?
How might you do this in your own shop?

Module 2: COVID-19 Vaccines

The purpose of this module is to provide information about the COVID-19 disease including the risk of long haul syndrome and the role of vaccines to mitigate the most severe disease outcomes. Additionally, the role of Black people in the clinical trials will be discussed. This module will take approximately 30 minutes to complete.

COVID-19 & Vaccines: What We Need to Know

Reflection Questions
What are your three key takeaways from viewing the module content on COVID-19 & Vaccines?
What kinds of questions about COVID-19 vaccination have you heard in your shop?

All About the Shot
Check out the COVID-19 Vaccine Resource Hub

What is the best way to talk about vaccines?
Become a Health Champion and help #StopCOVIDnow

What to do before you get the shot
Click here to learn what to do before you get the shot.

Possible Side Effects After Getting a COVID-19 Vaccine
Learn about side effects of the COVID-19 vaccines.

When You’ve Been Fully Vaccinated
Learn what you can do after you are fully vaccinated.

How do we know if the vaccines are safe?
Vaccines are “safe and effective” but what does that mean? Learn more about Vaccine Safety.

What about COVID-19 Vaccines and kids?

Check out this video series put together by Pediatricians answering questions about COVID-19 Vaccines and kids

Click here to see videos

Module 3: Epidemiology and the Colors of Covid-19

Lessons From the Front Lines of Vaccine Access and Hesitancy

The purpose of this module is to introduce current public health interventions regarding COVID-19 vaccine access and hesitancy and to describe how these interventions could influence the impact of the pandemic on communities of color.

Colors of COVID-19

Reflection Questions
What are your three key takeaways from viewing the module content on Public Health Interventions?
What kinds of questions about vaccine access or hesitancy have you heard in your shop?

Learn the Current Numbers for COVID-19 in Your Area
View numbers from the CDC.
View the numbers from Johns Hopkins University.
View the Maryland COVID-19 Dashboard
View the Prince George’s County COVID-19 Dashboard
View the Montgomery County COVID-19 Dashboard
View the Baltimore CIty COVID-19 Dashboard
Your state or local county health department might have a COVID-19 Dashboard of its own. To find it, please google “[your county name] COVID-19 Dashboard” (e.g., Prince George’s County COVID-19 Dashboard).

Module 4: Straight Talk with Clients & Media

Talking with Clients about COVID-19

Reflection Questions
What are your three key takeaways from viewing the module content on Communicating Information About COVID-19?
How might you do this in your own shop?

Talking about Covid-19 Vaccines
Read COVID-19 FAQS and ‘Do’s and Don’ts’ of talking about COVID-19 Vaccines on the AD Council’s Messaging Strategy for the Black Community.

Module 5: Training for Collaboration with Local Clinical Partners

Connecting with Local Public Health
The purpose of this module is to help barbers and stylists engage local health departments and hospitals as clinical partners who can operate a vaccination clinic in or near their places of business. The National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) will provide local guidance and facilitate connections. This module will take approximately 10 minutes to complete.

Reflection Questions
What are your three key takeaways from viewing the module content on Engaging with Clinical Partners?
How might you do this in your own shop?

Resources

What You Need to Know About Masks

CDC Your Guide to Masks

Wearing a Mask Protects You and Others

Resources From the CDC

CDC Toolkit for Community and Faith-Based Organizations

CDC Guidance for K-12 Schools

CDC Guidance for Child Care Program

What Does Research Have to Do With Barbershops and Salons?

Building Trust

Presenting the Maryland Center For Health Equity’s HAIR Campaign – No Research On Us Without Us

Diversity in COVID-19 Science

News

Maryland Barbers & Stylist United For Health in the News

Maryland Today: UMD Report: Complex Challenges Slowed Prince George’s COVID Vaccine Response

PR Newswire: National Minority Quality Forum Hosts Live Conversation Featuring Barber and Stylist COVID-19 Vaccine Activists

Consumer Reports: Flu Deaths Are More Common in Children of Color, Study Finds

MSNBC: Dr. Thomas turns barbershops & salons into “trusted vaccine information centers”

Public Health on Call: Episode 351: A Vaccine with that Haircut? Barber Shops and the Fight Against COVID-19

Washington Post: Offering beer, babysitting and barbershop outreach, the White House launches new initiatives to boost vaccinations

National News

NPR: Barbers are enlisted to tout the benefits of being vaccinated against COVID

The Washington Post: Trump and his allies really, really, really want to blame Black Americans and Democrats for vaccine hesitancy

New England Journal of Medicine: Striving for Diversity in Research Studies

Medical Marketing and Media: Black and Hispanic communities are lagging in getting vaccinated. How these organizations are trying to change that.

New York Post: Facing the facts about the unvaxxed — and why it’s folly to approach them in anger

The Undefeated: Tuskegee descendants, hip-hop anthems and hustlers are all being deployed to convince Black people to get vaccinated

CNN: Health officials turn to Black-owned barber shops and hair salons as possible Covid-19 vaccination sites

Local News

NBC Southern California: Combating Vaccine Hesitancy Among Black Americans After Mistrust Caused by Unethical Study

AL.com: White House COVID team praises Mobile’s vaccine efforts during a ‘breaking point’ in pandemic

WSPA: HUD Secretary visits SC to talk about vaccinations and access to affordable housing

Gothamist: Shave And A Haircut, Two Shots: NY Salons Jump Into Vaccine Outreach

WLOX: Mississippi to offer $1,000 to African American salons as part of ‘Shots at the Shop’ program

Houston Chronicle: Slow, but steady: Vaccine drives continue in Black, Latino neighborhoods

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does the program use Barbers and Stylists?

We believe that Barbers and Stylists hold a unique position in their community to help promote health. We aim to create Trusted Information Centers in the shops so those in the community can feel confident in the educational materials they receive in the Shop.

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