The Black Barbershop Health Outreach Program held free diabetes and high blood pressure screenings at Moore’s Barbershop in Grambling on Saturday. Workers from the program contacted Grambling’s Nursing Department for volunteers to help in the community. James Moore, owner of Moore’s Barbershop for more than 40 years, was pleased when the nursing volunteers contacted him.
“I am always trying to find ways to give back to the community and was delighted to participate,” said Moore.
Nursing major Sheena Loving was one of the students who volunteered at one of the three locations in the north Louisiana area. She helped provide information and screenings at Moore’s shop.
“There are many males that are living in our community that don’t know that they have high blood pressure or diabetes, so this program was a perfect outlet,” said Moore.
Besides Moore’s shop, screenings were also held in Ruston and Monroe.
The program was founded in 2007 by Dr. Bill J. Releford, a doctor of podiatric medicine from Los Angeles. Dr. Releford took the initiative to start the program in hopes of stopping the crisis of African American males from suffering preventable diseases.
The program was originally branched from the Diabetic Amputation Prevention Foundation.
With Releford specializing in podiatric surgery, his aim was to address African American’s disparities by treating diabetic and high blood pressure before they reached the point of a limb amputation.
The program is active in many states around the country.
For more on The Black Barbershop Health Outreach Program, visit www.blackbarbershop.org.