Clipper Clinic: An Academic and Community Collaborative Model to Addressing Health Disparities within Underserved Communities

Clipper Clinic is a free preventative health care screening service that addresses the barriers many underserved communities have in regards to accessing health care. Each Clipper is conducted in, and partnered with a local barbershop or beauty salon that is located in an underserved area. Clipper Clinic provides an alternative care delivery model that establishes fully engaged partnerships that break down silos between academic institutions, community clinics, HMOs, and community barbershops. It increases participant awareness and knowledge by providing biometric screenings, finding a medical home via “warm hand” referrals to low cost health care resources, and providing evidence based health education. At each event, free preventative services are provided including, flu shots, height and weight, blood pressure, blood glucose, cholesterol, HIV/STD testing, and cancer screening questionnaires. There are patient navigators available to provide information about insurance and guide community members through the insurance enrollment process. Over the past three years (2013-2015), clipper clinic services have reached about 611 community members with roughly 36% of the participants identifying as female and 57% identifying as male. The racial and ethnic background of screened participants included Latinos (31%), East Africans (6%), Multi-Racial (3%), and African Americans made up 44% of the total screened over the last three years. Clipper Clinic is a promising method for effectively and efficiently addressing health disparities in underserved populations by utilizing a community-academic framework, reaching multiethnic and gender target population, and allowing for a comprehensive disease focus.