Community COVID Testing Initiative

Two pandemics have occurred in recent years: COVID-19 and racial discrimination. Together, they have illuminated racial inequalities in healthcare delivery and health outcomes. They have heightened medical distrust and awareness of the racism, discrimination, implicit bias, and unequal treatment that has existed in the U.S. for centuries. 

Trusted community settings, like barbershops and beauty salons, have long been essential to the spread of information in the Black community. These local businesses have served as gatekeepers and facilitators of health information. That’s why the HEEAT Lab is partnering with barbers and stylists to promote health, including COVID testing. We co-founded North Carolina Barbers and Stylists for Health Equity (NCBSHE), a network of barbershops and beauty salons serving primarily Black clientele across the state. Led by barbers and stylists, NCBSHE works with academic partners serving in non-leadership roles. 

The Community COVID Testing Initiative offers free testing across Black communities in Guilford and Durham counties in North Carolina through barbershops and salons. The goal is to detect COVID early and prevent asymptomatic and pre-symptomatic spread of the infection. We also want to learn more about the barriers and facilitators to testing in the Black community. We are creating communications to be shared in barbershops and beauty salons and will examine the impact of these culturally relevant messages on people’s decisions around COVID testing.