The barbershop is a space where most men feel comfortable to express themselves and vent. What if there was a place for Black men to receive health and wellness services, mental health, and social care needs all while receiving a haircut? Founder and CEO of TRAP Medicine, Jahmil Lacey, and his team are working tirelessly to make this vision possible.
TRAP is building a network of barbershops in South LA for men to access medical and mental health services for free. TRAP will provide barbershops with the tools to have conversations with customers about health, mental health, disease prevention, and more.
Founder and CEO, Jahmil Lacey is currently a third-year medical student at Charles Drew/ UCLA Medical Educational Program. He realized at an early age that he had a passion for helping people in ways that would have an impact.
“I grew up in Oakland and when I was a young boy, my granny would to bring me along while she delivered home cooked meals to people living on the streets,” Jahmil said. “Looking back, I feel that this gave me a real understanding of the issues faced by my community and the experience of helping others is what brought me to my career today.”
Before enrolling in medical school, Jahmil worked for a variety of roles including community organizer, urban planner, educator, mental health counselor, and manager of a community clinic. TRAP was started after witnessing his barber at the time give an impromptu on the benefits of condoms at the barbershop. He explained how he approached three friends, all of whom are practicing physicians, he had met in college with the idea. They surveyed over 300 men to get an understanding of their experiences with the healthcare system and to assess interest in receiving services at the barbershop. They visited several barbershops in Oakland to get a feel for the tools and resources barbers would need to be trusted health providers. A pilot program was launched in 2017.
TRAP stands for Trust, Research, Access, and Prevention. Jahmil emphasized how barbershops historically serve as safe havens- “community hubs where men go regularly to commute, let off steam, engage in conversation, and be cared for by their barber.” He went on to say that “barbershops have a significant amount of cultural capital in the community, which we leverage to break down barriers that prevent Black men from receiving quality medical care.”
As part of the Johnson & Johnson Health Equity Innovation Challenge, TRAP was recently named one of the top 14 innovators in the country that is advancing health equity solutions for communities. Through the funding they received, TRAP will pilot a standalone Barbershop Wellness Hub where men ages 18-35 can access a range of medical, mental, and social health services.
“The support from Johnson & Johnson goes beyond funding. We were also given access to mentorship and networking pipelines that we are already benefiting from as a community-based venture,” Jahmil said.
“Our ultimate goal is to use this as a pathway to scale this model to other areas throughout the state and country. We’re just getting started.”
The hub will be a safe space where Black and Brown men can access these services, help integrate culture and wellness, provide people with passionate care they deserve, and serve as a space that is designed to promote the health and well-being of the community.
The team at TRAP includes founder Jahmil, Chief Medical Advisor, Dr. Branden Turner MD, Chief Impact Advisor, Dr. Italo Brown, MD MPH, Chief Strategy Advisor, Dr. Edwin Kulubya, MD MBA. Dr. Turner’s role at TRAP focuses on health education training for barbers, strategic partnerships, patient advocacy, and community outreach. Dr. Brown focuses on public health impact, strategic partnerships, community outreach, and advocacy. Dr. Kulubya focuses on growth, strategic partnerships, and advocacy.
TRAP currently has pop-up shops on Tuesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays in South LA. Jahmil explained how the number of clients increase every time there is a COVID surge as people are looking to get tested. During the pandemic, they led daily pop-up clinics across South Los Angeles, serving well over 10,000 clients. During these pop-ups, TRAP was able to offer a wide range of services including STI and HIV testing, hypertension screenings, blood glucose and cholesterol checks, COVID vaccinations and testing, services for individuals with substance use disorders, and also helped clients get connected to resources such as food, housing, and legal support.
In the next couple of years, Jahmil emphasized how TRAP will be focused on securing a location for their standalone barbershop.
For more information on TRAP Medicine, visit: https://www.trapmedicine.org
