CARBONDALE, Ill. (KFVS) – In the African American community, the barbershop isn't just a place to get a haircut, it's also a place to have a conversation.
The topic at Arnett Barber Shop in Carbondale, Illinois today was prostate cancer.
“Barbershops in general are a place of camaraderie, a place of merchandise, and a place where many men feel safe,” said Dr. Don Arnold. “Not only men come to barbershops, but it is primarily men who come to barbershops, where they can have real conversations about real issues without prejudice or fear.”
Dr. Arnold is a urologist and chief of surgery at Southern Illinois Healthcare. He said when talking about topics like this, it's important to meet with people in the community to build trust and relationships.
“Everybody has a different experience when it comes to healthcare, and a lot of times that distrust can be based on word of mouth, someone else's history, or their own bad experience. So I always want to get to the root of the distrust and the root of the fear, because the only thing that can combat fear is education,” he said. “So once we understand where the fear is, then we can hopefully start to build bridges and relationships and get patients to come.”
Arnold said he hopes to continue these types of events throughout the year.
“I hope that this is something we're doing alone, not necessarily just me, and that other people will look at this and say, 'Let's bring in a general surgeon or a breast cancer specialist or a surgical oncology specialist,'” he said. “My hope is that by getting all my colleagues on board and all of us doing this throughout the year, we'll ask the community, 'What would you like to see? What issues do you think we should go out and talk about?'
Arnold will host another men's health series event at Quality Quiz in Murphysboro, Illinois, on Monday, September 16th from 5pm to 7pm.
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