WARREN, Ohio -
Warren's Downtown Grooming Lounge isn't usually open on Mondays.
But on this day, it was anything but business as usual.
 
The barber shop is among the roughly 1,000 nationwide chosen as part of the "Shots at the Shops" program.
It's a means to get more minorities vaccinated against COVID.
 
Around here, that's a big task.
Columbiana (14%), Mahoning (26%) and Trumbull counties (27%) are all lagging behind the rest of the state (33%) in getting the Black population immunized.
 
 
"We like to congregate at the barber shop, sit around, joke, laugh, get away from all our stress," says Lewis West, co-owner of the shop.
 
 
In an environment that yields trust, about two dozen people who initially resisted the vaccine got theirs Monday.
 
 
"Listening to Dr. (Anthony) Fauci, watching TV shows and also people who have taken the shot," Gail Black says, made her better informed.
 
 
For her and many others who came to Monday's clinic, it was personal.
 
"I'd been wavering, going back and forth with it but it's getting kind of close to home now," Black said.
 
 
it's personal for West, too.
 
"I had COVID and survived it, thank God," he said. "Ever since I got out of the hospital I said I wanted to do everything I can to make people understand tthis is definitely real."
 
 
Valley infectious disease specialist Dr. Dee Banks says new data from the Kaiser Foundation, a reputable research firm, show initiatives like this could finally be having an impact.
 
 
"It appears from say August 16 to September 7, African Americans and LatinX populations have increased with respect to the vaccination share," says Banks, adding that she wants to see more churches and beauty shops in Black neighborhoods host similar events.
 
With more Shots at the Shops set for the next few weeks, at least the slow but steady progress to this point should continue.
 
In Columbiana County, our local county with the lowest vaccination rate among the Black community, health officials say they'll continue to go over new ideas next week to encourage minorities to get the shot.
 
Laura Fauss of the County Health District says after a survey on vaccine hesitancy, a vaccine clinic held at a Black church in Wellsville didn't yield much uptick in vaccination rates. She adds that much of the county's Black population is in East Liverpool, which has its own health department that may have other outreach measures. We contacted the city health department to find out what, if any initiatives are in place, but have so far not heard back.
 
To read more on the Kaiser Foundation's report, click here

 

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