Community Health

Community Health

Good Health & Great Hair go together

GOOD HEALTH & GREAT HAIR GO TOGETHER

In 2016, Kaiser Permanente launched the Good Health & Great Hair outreach initiative to bring critical health and social support services to Baltimore City communities. Barbershops and salons have long served as gathering places in communities of color, and through a unique partnership, we’ve been able to provide our exceptional health care in safe and trusted spaces within the communities where individuals live, work, play, and pray.

Bringing total health to Greater Baltimore

At Kaiser Permanente, we believe in total health—addressing the physical, mental, and social health needs of our members, as well as the needs of their communities. Our total health approach is the cornerstone of our integrated care delivery model.

The Good Health & Great Hair Barbershop and Salon Outreach Program is an award-winning* example of total health in action. Our program addresses physical health through clinical screenings at barbershops and salons in Baltimore City, mental health with community conversations and referrals, and social health by offering important support services to participants who need them most.

Program goals

  • Provide exceptional care to the communities we serve
  • Reduce health disparities by increasing access to health care and social services
  • Save​ lives by detecting and diagnosing diseases

Access to our resources​

Mind Health: Shop Talk

These monthly classes, offered in partnership with the Black Mental Health Alliance (read the Phase 3 report), are designed to address core drivers of mental wellness. Each month features a unique topic to discuss with licensed clinicians, authors, and persons with relevant life experiences. Come build community and strengthen your coping skills through conversation with experts.

Register

Financial Wellness

The stress of financial decisions can impact one’s emotional and physical well-being, especially in these difficult economic circumstances. Join this workshop—offered by Kaiser Permanente in partnership with Bon Secours Community Works—to learn more about the connection between your emotional state and your financial decisions, and learn coping methods to improve your own health.

Registration link coming soon

Fitness and Nutrition

Exercise and proper nutrition support a healthy body and a strong immune system, which are both more important than ever in the battle against COVID-19. That’s why we offer these workshops in partnership with Brown & Healthy. Come try a variety of exercises for all ages, or learn tips and recipes for eating healthy at home.

Registration link coming soon

Program components

The Good Health & Great Hair initiative owes its success to many groups and individuals, who shared a belief in a healthier future for Baltimore communities. We depend on our home bases, barbershops and salons, to create access points for our resources and bring us in contact with those who need them most. We depend on Kaiser Permanente medical professionals to provide the care and education that heals communities and gives them a healthy future. We depend on our social support partners to increase the scope of our care and truly bring total health to communities in need.

Barbershop and salon network​

These community touchpoints make the Good Health & Great Hair initiative possible. Barbershops and salons are gathering spaces where social interaction occurs in a safe environment; where intergenerational knowledge is transferred; where social justice and advocacy initiatives are cultivated; and where deep, personal bonds of friendship between patron and barber are forged. We built upon the traditional role that barbers and stylists play as community educators and advisors, turning them into our first GHGH Ambassadors.

The KP/GoVAX Collaboration continues to recruit and train trusted partners in Baltimore City, Prince George’s County, and Montgomery County. If you are interested in joining this dynamic network of barbershops, salons, and other community-based organizations, please email Regina Webb or Janny Ukaegbu

Clinical services

Our physicians, nurses, and other Kaiser Permanente medical professionals provide the clinical support for the Good Health & Great Hair initiative. Together, this team offers residents a broad range of immunizations, plus no-cost preventive screenings for conditions like obesity, high blood pressure, HIV, liver and kidney disease, certain cancers, and more. Residents even receive follow-up notifications of their lab results, and assistance with scheduling appointments at safety net clinics if needed.

Mobile Health Team

Our mobile health brings care directly to residents in target communities. The team travels aboard the Kaiser Permanente Mobile Health Van, which is equipped with exam rooms, a medical lab, ECG equipment, and generators to ensure reliable operations. The Van is also connected to our electronic medical record system, which means Kaiser Permanente members get the same continuity of care as they do in our medical centers—and any services they receive will be added to their personal health records.

GHGH Ambassadors

We’re always looking to expand our network of care and resources with new GHGH Ambassadors. To accomplish this, we rely on our participating partners who know their communities the best, and know which of their fellow shop and salon owners will meet and support the principles of Good Health & Great Hair. GHGH Ambassadors have their shops equipped with flyers, interior and exterior signage, and monthly calendars to disseminate important health information, and the Ambassadors themselves are trained in general health knowledge so they can better help and inform their communities.

Social support partners

The Good Health & Great Hair program offers a variety of services to help participants attain Total Health, including financial counseling, health insurance counseling, resume workshops, mental health seminars, fitness and wellness workshops, and more. Residents can submit a form anytime indicating their interest in these services, and reference our program calendar for specific dates, times, and locations for services. These services are made possible with the help of our community partners: HealthCare Access Maryland, Black Mental Health Alliance, Our Money Place, Pratt Mobile Job Center, and Brown & Healthy.

Kaiser Permanente health plans around the country: Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc., in Northern and Southern California and Hawaii • Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of Colorado • Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of Georgia, Inc., Nine Piedmont Center, 3495 Piedmont Road NE, Atlanta, GA 30305, 404-364-7000 • Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of the Mid-Atlantic States, Inc., in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C., 2101 E. Jefferson St., Rockville, MD 20852 • Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of the Northwest, 500 NE Multnomah St., Suite 100, Portland, OR 97232 • Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of Washington or Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of Washington Options, Inc., 1300 SW 27th St., Renton, WA 98057

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