Health department uses barber shops to fight STDs

ST. LOUIS — Customers at some St. Louis barber shops or beauty salons might walk out with new hair styles and some free condoms or information about sexually transmitted diseases.

It’s all part of an effort called The Fade Out program that the St. Louis Health Department is organizing to combat the city’s high STD rates, The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports. Most of the participating salons are in African-American neighborhoods, which have a disproportionate rate of STDs.

Stylists recruited by the health department are trained in how to bring up the subject and can convey facts about HIV and STD transmission, prevention and treatment. They distribute condoms and can refer people to other resources for testing and medical care. Supporters of the effort say the relaxed atmosphere and rapport between stylists and their clients can make it easier to discuss sexual behavior, The St. Louis PostDispatch reported.

“The salon is information central,” said Cordell Edwards, who owns Goal Line Barber & Beauty. “People trust what we say about fashion and beauty. Health is a natural extension.”

The program’s top two goals are persuading people to be tested for HIV and STDs and connecting them to treatments, Thornton said. Participating salons host events where the Health Department offers free, rapid HIV testing.