- American Diabetes Association and AIDS Healthcare Foundation are National Supporters "¢ Saturday, June 30th Kick-off in Los Angeles -

(BLACK PR WIRE)--LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- In an effort to improve the health of African American families, the Beauty N Black Wellness Tour will turn beauty salons into centers for health information and screening, starting with a June 30th launch in Los Angeles. Women visiting the salons will have the opportunity to talk with experts about common health concerns and to get screened by a health professional for diabetes, high blood pressure and HIV. The Black BeautyShop Health Foundation (www.blackbeautyshop.org) will produce the nine-city tour in collaboration with the American Diabetes Association and the AIDS Healthcare Foundation.

Women are the health CEO of the family, said Margo LaDrew, executive director of the Black BeautyShop Health Foundation. Given that black women visit the salon an average of 2.5 times a month, the beauty shop is an ideal place to educate women and equip them with practical tools for improving their family's health.

Ms. LaDrew is an expert at the intersection of beauty and health for African American women. She is a former divisional sales manager with Carson-Johnson products, which is a leader in hair care brands for black women. Additionally, Ms. LaDrew spent more than four years with the Black Barbershop Health Outreach Program. Under that organization's banner, she assisted the founder in developing, launching and implementing all programs, coordinated the national tours and also produced the African American Men's Health & Empowerment Summits. All told, Ms. LaDrew helped to deliver health screenings to more than 25,000 men in 26 cities before stepping down in June 2011.

Spurred by her success in the arena of black men's health, Ms. LaDrew founded the Black BeautyShop Health Foundation, whose mission is to turn Black women's interest in beauty and personal care into opportunities for raising their awareness of how to prevent and manage disease. In addition to bringing health information into beauty shops, in 2012 the Beauty N Black Wellness Tour will sponsor free day-long health and beauty expos in Atlanta; Chicago; Dallas; New York City; Oakland, CA; Richmond, VA; Washington, DC, and Philadelphia.

Susan Evans, MD, a nationally acclaimed dermatologist and media personality who serves as Ambassador for the initiative, said, "As a dermatologist, I know that skin is the window to overall health. I believe the Beauty N Black Wellness Tour will help Black women make the connection between external beauty and internal health." Toward that end, Dr. Evans will make personal appearances at events in Los Angeles and several cities during the tour.

American Diabetes Association National Collaboration

Recognizing that diabetes impacts nearly 15 percent of African Americans over age 20, the Black BeautyShop Health Foundation is collaborating with the American Diabetes Association (the Association), which will leverage its relationships with local health care agencies and health professionals and provide diabetes educational materials.

According to Earnestine Walker, director of African-American and older initiatives for the American Diabetes Association, the tour will enhance the work of the Association, which has a long record of commitment to black communities. "I am delighted to collaborate with the Beauty N Black Wellness Tour," said Ms. Walker. "Sometimes women neglect themselves to take care of others. But by encouraging women to take better care of themselves inside and out, this program helps women get healthier and take action to improve the health of their families and communities."

AIDS Healthcare Foundation National Partnership

Given that nearly half of those living with HIV in the United States are African American, the Beauty N Black Wellness Tour is partnering with the AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) to provide women with life-saving information about preventing and managing HIV/AIDS. In several tour cities, AHF and its local partners will provide free rapid HIV testing on one of its mobile testing vans.

"The AIDS epidemic is hitting African Americans harder than any other ethnic group in the US," said Whitney Engeran-Cordova, senior director of public health for the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, a global organization that is the largest provider of HIV/AIDS medical care in the United States. "It is essential that we find effective methods for communicating with Black women," he continued. "We believe the Beauty N Black Wellness Tour will make a difference because it places HIV education and testing in a context that is relevant to black women's lives."

Los Angeles Event

On June 30, the Beauty N Black Wellness Tour will launch in salons throughout Los Angeles. Participating salons include: Brenda's Talk Of The Town; Chic Hair; Detour Hair Studio; End Results Hair Salon; Edmondson's The Ivory Coast Hair Salon; Gaynale & Company Beauty Salon; Hair Architects Barber & Beauty Salon; Indulgent Concept Hair Studio; K Salon; Pacific Beauty College of Los Angeles; Shear Creations; Spa 313 Salon; Tame Salon; and The Last Tangle. Activities will also take place at Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza's Community Room.

Medical partners for the event are: Mu Chi Chapter Nursing Sorority; Practicing the Art of Dentistry (Raymont Johnson, Jr., DDS); Santa Monica College School of Nursing; and Westwood College Medical Assisting Program.

The sponsors of the Los Angeles event are: Clear Essence; Los Angeles Region Champions for Change; Los Angeles View Park National Council of Negro Women, Inc.; PhRMA; and Susan G. Komen for the Cure - Los Angeles County.

About the Black BeautyShop Health Foundation

The Black BeautyShop Health Foundation is a 501c3 organization established to empower African American women with knowledge to choose healthier lifestyles. At the heart of the Foundation is an appreciation for Black women's interest in beauty and for the unique role beauty shops play in Black culture- as trusted places where women exchange information and set cultural norms, including those related to health behaviors. The Foundation produces the nine-city Beauty N Black Wellness Tour and publishes Black BeautyShop Magazine (www.blackbeautyshop.org), an online health and beauty resource. Nationally, the Foundation works in concert with the American Diabetes Association and the AIDS Healthcare Foundation.

For more information call 310.674.6700 or visit www.blackbeautyshop.org and Facebook (Black Beautyshop Health Foundation.)

About the American Diabetes Association

The American Diabetes Association is leading the fight to Stop Diabetes and its deadly consequences and fighting for those affected by diabetes. The Association funds research to prevent, cure and manage diabetes; delivers services to hundreds of communities; provides objective and credible information; and gives voice to those denied their rights because of diabetes. Founded in 1940, its mission is to prevent and cure diabetes and to improve the lives of all people affected by diabetes. For more information please call the American Diabetes Association at 1-800-DIABETES (1-800-342-2383) or visit www.diabetes.org. Information from both these sources is available in English and Spanish.

About the AIDS Healthcare Foundation

AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), the largest global AIDS organization, currently provides medical care and/or services to more than 166,000 individuals in 26 countries worldwide in the US, Africa, Latin America/Caribbean, the Asia/Pacific Region and Eastern Europe. To learn more about AHF, visit: www.aidshealth.org, or Facebook: www.facebook.com/aidshealth or Twitter: @aidshealthcare

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