How Barbershops Are Becoming Community Health Care Destinations

The Cut Hypertension Program was launched with the hopes of bringing necessary medical care to the communities in need of it most. With some pandemic-related challenges at the inception of the program, it has since been launched and partnered with nearly 15 barbershops in the Oakland and San Francisco Bay Area.

“What we're trying to do is bring medicine to the community instead of the other way around,” said Crystal Zhou, PharmD, APh, AHSCP, BCACP, Associate Professor in the Department of Clinical Pharmacy at the University of California, San Francisco, and the program’s lead pharmacist.

On Drug Topics’ most recent episode of Over the Counter, Zhou joined us to discuss the program in depth and explain how initiatives like this can truly highlight the crucial role pharmacists play within the health care system. While her practice setting is unique, being in a barbershop, she hopes practice collaboration—like that of the Cut Hypertension Program—can be expanded within health care and help improve patient outcomes across the globe.

“It could be a barbershop, it could be a nail salon, it could be a church. I think this model of bringing care into the community for the people who need it most is what's really important and could make a huge impact in public health and really improve people's blood pressures.”

Listen to our full-length conversation with Zhou as she describes what it means to be lead pharmacist of The Cut Hypertension Program, as well as her passion both for hypertension and for promoting non-traditional roles within health care.

“I'm an advocate for nontraditional roles,” she said. “I [thought], let's try to expand and think outside the box and see what else pharmacists are capable of doing. Because of my position here at [the University of San Francisco], I think I'm very fortunate and able to meet the right people and make this [program] happen.”

Stay tuned for weekly podcast episodes on Over the Counter every Thursday afternoon. Check out our previous episode with Scott Nelson, PharmD, MS, FAMIA, ACHIP, co-author of a section titled “Navigating Generative AI: Opportunity and Risk” from the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists 2025 Pharmacy Forecast. Nelson discussed AI’s role within health-system pharmacy and how pharmacists can use this technology to combat persistent practice challenges.

Reference

Chong S, Huynh B, Wong S, et al. Preferences and perspectives of Black male barbershop patrons on receiving health care in nontraditional settings. Health Equity. 2023 Dec 12;7(1):835-842. doi: 10.1089/heq.2023.0157.