2008 Announcements

New Outreach Initiative Brings Message of Donation to Barbershops
January 5, 2008

LifeSource and Southside Community Health Services are embarking on a new outreach initiative to bring the message of organ and tissue donation to Twin Cities African American men by utilizing the community’s natural gathering place – the barbershop. The new program has the potential to reach more than 1,500 African American men through 98 barbers in 26 barbershops in the Twin Cities and Rochester.

The goal of the Barbershop Initiative is to further increase donation rates in the African American community, specifically among African American men, and includes a culturally specific community-based education approach with barbers serving as trusted messengers providing education for their clients. Barbers will be trained on a variety of health topics by three community educators; liver recipient Warren Edwards, kidney recipient Kevin Jenkins and behavior consultant Sam Simmons. The primary attitudes and misconceptions that have been identified as keeping African American men from designating themselves as organ and tissue donors will be addressed.