Free clinic focused on men's health opens at Milwaukee barbershop Gee's Clippers

A room at the back of Gee's Clippers where a stylist used to work now looks like it's been plucked straight from a doctor's office.

It's a space away from the bustle and buzz of the main floor and the site of a free clinic aimed at supporting men's health.

At the clinic's unveiling Tuesday, Gee's owner Gaulien “Gee” Smith listed family members — his father, his mother, his grandfather, his grandmother and uncles — who died before they were 65 years old because of preventable illnesses.

That's why this clinic is so important to him, Smith said at Tuesday's event at his barbershop on North King Drive, a place he has built into an important community hub.

"I'm so excited for what we are about to offer this community, the lives that we are about to impact and save," he said, telling the story of a longtime client who went to the doctor because of a conversation between the two men about the client's health.

Smith's client found out he had early-stage prostate cancer — but it was caught early, so he'll be able to recover.

Those relationships built in the barber chair are key to the program's design, as is the accessibility of the clinic just feet away. And while it's aimed at men, no one will be turned away, he said.

The MKE Wellness Clinic has its soft launch on March 5 with a full launch on April 1. It will be open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.

The aim is not only to provide medical care but also to connect residents to services to help overcome challenges with education, employment, housing, health and food insecurity that are critical to overall wellness.

It's "an opportunity to be a beacon of awareness," said Anthony Woods, Medicaid plan president at Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield.

Gee's will also house Hayat Pharmacy's first Express Pharmacy that will be staffed three days per week and will offer over-the-counter medications for purchase but also the ability to video chat with a pharmacist. 

The clinic is a partnership between Gee's Clippers and Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield and is supported by the city's Health Department, the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health and others.

Anthem funded the alterations to Gee's Clippers and is funding the clinic's operations.

Included in that are "Wellness Gee’niuses," Anthem community relations liaisons who will be in the barber shop's main area with iPads doing evaluations with clients.

Barbers will start the conversations about wellness and have incentives to get their clients connected with evaluations.

Nurses will staff the clinic area and offer services that include screenings for blood pressure, glucose and body mass index, and testing for HIV and sexually transmitted infections.

The nurses will come from Aurora Health Care, Froedtert and the Medical College of Wisconsin and other volunteers within the community, said Wendy Collins, community relations manager at Anthem.

Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett told those gathered that so much of encouraging men to go to the doctor is about the kind of trust built in a town square like Gee's.

The pilot period for the clinic runs for a year but the goal is to continue the effort for years to come.

A list of free and low-cost clinics in Milwaukee can be found on the city Health Department's website.

Contact Alison Dirr at 414-224-2383 or adirr@jrn.com. Follow her on Twitter @AlisonDirr.