Let’s have a salon chat about your health! Better yet, here’s something you can do and receive a reward during a Saturday visit at Karline’s Salon and Spa: the Check-in Wellness Check! This health outreach program empowers clients to control the risks of hypertension, obesity, and diabetes.
Every month, beginning April 24, 2021, between the hours of 12 Noon and 3 pm, South Florida medical students supervised by practicing physicians will conduct Blood Pressure and BMI (Body Mass Index) screenings in the salon and spa’s dedicated Self-care Saturday Room. Diabetes risk screening will begin later this year. Participating clients will also learn about health risks and receive special savings on the day’s service or haircare product purchase. The wellness check takes no more than 15 minutes, and all clients, 18 years of age and older, are invited to participate. Check the Karline’s Salon and Spa website calendar for schedule updates.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), hypertension, a leading risk factor for cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney disease, stroke, and death, is highly prevalent in Florida. Reducing blood pressure mitigates the substantial adverse outcomes. Further, obesity worsens outcomes from COVID-19. Adults with excess weight are at greater risk during the COVID-19 pandemic of hospitalization, impaired immune function, decreased lung function, and more. [References: CDC – Hypertension in Florida: Data From the OneFlorida Clinical Data Research Network; CDC – Obesity, Race/Ethnicity, and COVID-19] A 2019 report from the Florida Department of Health Florida Diabetes Advisory Council, over 2.4 million Floridians have diabetes and more than 5.8 million Floridians have pre-diabetes. Most concerning, over the past 20 years, the prevalence of diagnosed diabetes among Florida adults more than doubled. [Reference: Florida Health Department – 2019 Florida Diabetes Report]. Left uncontrolled, diabetes can negatively affect vision, heart and blood vessels, kidneys, gums and teeth, and gastrointestinal tract.
The Check-in Wellness Check initiative is an extension of the Shop Docs project, a Miami-Dade outreach program founded by Dr. Annette Grotheer, MD, MPH of Aventura Hospital & Medical Center. Under Dr. Grotheer’s supervision in conjunction with Dr. Stephen Symes, MD, FACP, Associate Professor of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases – University of Miami Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine, medical students will measure blood pressure and body fat. They will provide information on the importance of cardiovascular health and obesity, which is a common serious and costly chronic disease that increases the risk of severe illness from COVID-19.
Bringing this information to patrons in a culturally-sensitive and relaxed location may help participants to be more open to receiving this knowledge, that they may otherwise be closed off to. It is a familiar environment that is ideal for the discussion regarding health issues.
Dr. Annette Grotheer, MD, MPH
Get to know the medical students manning the Self-care Saturday Room, a dedicated wellness space, at Karline’s Salon and Spa:
Nia Rush is a third-year medical student at the University of Miami Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine. Originally from Mitchellville, Maryland, Ms. Rush holds a Bachelor’s degree in Global Health Studies from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a Master’s degree in Biomedical Sciences from Barry University (Miami, FL.). She plans to pursue a career in Pediatrics or Emergency Medicine.
Sara Asbeck is a third-year medical student at the University of Miami Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine. Ms. Asbeck, a West Palm Beach (FL) native, holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Emory University (Atlanta, GA) and returned to South Florida to begin her medical training. She plans to pursue a career in dermatology, specializing in skin of color.
Carnie Lazarre is a third-year medical student at the University of Miami Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine. Born in Port-Au-Prince, Haiti, Ms. Lazarre moved to South Florida in 2009. She obtained a Bachelor of Science degree from Florida International University (Miami ,FL). She plans to specialize in anesthesiology and provide intensive and critical care to the most vulnerable.
Make a Saturday appointment today at Karline’s Salon and Spa. Jump on it. Show up and show out for the Check-in Wellness Check. Even Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars would be impressed.