Hairdressers Against AIDS

Hairdressers Against AIDS.
Could the inhibiting of HIV infection and AIDS be a comb, fuzz ball and blow-dry away? That's the idea behind an innovative new national outreach effort, Hairdressers Against AIDS, which got its fling Tuesday at the United Nations in New York City, up ahead of Dec 1, 2010, World AIDS Day. The initiative - described as "one of the largest HIV/AIDS mobilization campaigns in US history" - has tresses mind giant L'Oreal joining forces with nonprofits such as the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the Global Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS, TB and Malaria (GBC). The object is to empower America's 500000-plus locks stylists to use the relationships they have with millions of clients for salon-based chats on the how, why and what of HIV.

So "Today there is no vaccine," distinguished GBC president and CEO John Tedstrom, speaking to 500 hairdressers who'd gathered at the UN for the launch. "There is no cure. We're getting there. But today there is only information. The more we talk, the more we educate, the more we stave off the plate of this epidemic," Tedstrom explained.

And "You'll dream of millions of people hearing about HIV from community that they know," he said. "They'll be hearing effective time-tested messages about HIV prevention, and they'll be able to embezzle those messages back to their personal relationships. And then whether it's a mom talking to her daughter or a girlfriend talking to her boyfriend, it doesn't matter. We'll be able to have an matured conversation about HIV and erotic health".

Using hair-care professionals to get health messages out to the masses isn't a novel idea. Recent studies have shown, for example, that swart men can be motivated by barbershop messages to improve their blood lean on or get educated about their risk for prostate cancer. And the US launch of Hairdressers Against AIDS is just the up-to-date extension of a global HIV awareness effort that's already in place in 30 countries throughout the world.

Hairdressers Against AIDS will to begin offer in-depth HIV/AIDS background training to 1,200 "salon educators," relying on the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as their drill informant for HIV/AIDS information and prevention advice. The salon educators will then send HIV poop and resource materials out to about half a million hairdressers nationwide. Christine Schuster, L'Oreal infirmity president of education and campaign chair, called the effort an "advocacy program" that will capitalize on salons' pitch role in communities to help dispel myths, such as the idea that HIV is no longer a significant condition threat or that AIDS is now curable.

In fact, the campaign notes that 1,1 million Americans are still living with HIV and every 9,5 minutes another American becomes infected. About one-fifth of those infected are cogitation to be incognizant of their status. "We want to get the conversation started," Schuster said, noting that the nation's half-million hairdressers come into reach with an average of 20 million clients per week. "There's no better recall to have a conversation than in your local salon".

Within its first year, the US campaign hopes to rise to upwards of 110 million American salon-goers, one haircut at a time. Outreach started in resolute on Wednesday, with all 500 stylists who attended the UN launch headed to Times Square with video cameras to streak grassroots HIV prevention videos. The finished products will be posted on the campaign's Web site, as well as on other sexually transmitted media forums such as Facebook, to jumpstart the education process.

So "Education is key," said Johnny Wright, a prestige hair stylist involved in the undertaking who counts First Lady Michelle Obama as one of his clients. "As hair stylists we have a brisk voice to help educate. So that means talking about using a condom, getting tested, knowing your partner's status, crafty your own status, knowing about the celibacy option if that's appropriate for you. All that needs to be talked about. And I rouse it can be very easy for us as hairdressers to communicate all this to our clients" rxlistplus.com. GBC's Tedstrom seconded that notion, business Hairdressers Against AIDS "a tremendous opening to make a big difference".