Six Coatesville hair care professionals have been trained to help their clients access behavioral health services and resources through Our HAIR (Health Access Initiative for Recovery). A collaborative project of Community Care Behavioral Health and The Alliance for Health Equity, the initiative aims to create meaningful and culturally appropriate outreach to improve health outcomes for black and brown communities.

Our HAIR and two hair care professionals will be featured on Chester County’s mental health radio show, “Let’s Talk About It” on Thursday, April 18 from 11:30 until noon at 95.3 WCHE and 953wche.com. A podcast of the show is also available at the website.

Lori Weems, Our HAIR Program Director, said that three hair stylists and three barbers from Coatesville completed the comprehensive training at the end of 2023, earning Wellness Ambassador and QPR (Question, Persuade, Refer) suicide prevention certificates. Since then, they have been doing meaningful outreach from the floors of their hair salons and barber shops in the Coatesville community.

Sharon Hardin, the secretary of the Coatesville branch of the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) said she grew up in the area and has seen firsthand how mental health concerns have affected the community. A registered nurse, Hardin said she recruited professional hair care participants because mental health education is her passion.

“Black and brown families normally don’t discuss mental health, and we wanted to change that,” Hardin said.

The Our Hair project began as a pilot project in Allegheny County. Using the same format and curriculum, the Coatesville project taught participants to recognize when someone may be struggling with a mental health or substance use disorder, and how to get them the help, if needed.