ORANGEBURG, S.C. — February is American Heart Health Month. The American Heart Association is meeting the community where they are to ensure they have the tools they need to live healthier lives.
According to the American Heart Association, one in three people have been diagnosed with high blood pressure. The agency says a barbershop is considered a safe place in the community which is what inspired a new initiative to use local barbershops as an outlet to make people smarter about heart health.
“I’ve been told by medical doctors that people listen to their barbers more than they listen to their doctors," said local barbershop owner Paul Robinson.
Robinson is the owner of the Professional Barbershop in Orangeburg. On Saturday, the shop is teaming up with Hope Health as part of the American Heart Association's mission to educate the public on heart disease prevention through blood pressure screenings and educational resources.
The American Heart Association says this is because of the disparities among those living with heart disease.
“It is higher among the African American community and also the Latino community. Many of these barbershops that we are gonna be part of are mostly geared toward African American people and also Latinos," said American Heart Association community impact director Alfonso Franco.
The goal is to inform people of their blood pressure levels and educate them on ways they can stay one step ahead of their heart health, especially in communities like Orangeburg.
“In this neighborhood in particular we’re sort of a food desert. We don’t have a grocery store, we have fast food restaurants and people tend to make bad choices when they don’t have any choices," said Robinson.
He says this is one step toward creating more heart health awareness in the community. The event takes place Saturday at the barbershop from 1 to 3 p.m. It's located at 811 Whittaker Parkway in Orangeburg.
It will be free and open to the public, and there will be educational materials available for people to refer to in the future.