In an increasingly diverse country, connecting patients with providers who look like them and feel culturally relatable will lead to better health outcomes for all.
Picture this: Two dozen men gather in a classroom in rural south Georgia to get their hair shaped up and talk about life. The barbers are the main attraction, but the get-together is organized by medical students – specifically Black medical students – as a way to reach people who might not otherwise see a doctor. They check blood pressure amid the buzz of electric clippers. No surprise, nearly everyone in the room is hypertensive.