Department of Family Medicine

Blood pressure, Barbershops, and the Black community

Written by Robert Thompson | January 04, 2024

If one goes in search of a stark public health problem, it’s difficult to avoid rates of hypertension in the Black community. Groups like The Colorado Black Health Collaborative (CBHC) are working to alert Black adults to the consequences and risks of unmanaged high blood pressure by providing education in safe, trusted spaces. The Black Barbershop and Salon Health Outreach Program (BBSHOP) is one such educational measure. Johnny Williams, an MPH graduate and DrPH candidate with ColoradoSPH, got involved with the barbershop and salon program in 2018 and was just featured in an article for the CU School of Public Health. “It was nice getting to talk about BBHSOP,” says Johnny. “It’s been a huge part of my public health journey since moving to Colorado and really helped me become a part of the community.  I plan on doing my dissertation work to support the CBHC and hypertension prevention for Black Men in community-based settings.” 

Read the full article here.