More than 19 York stylists help save lives this month

Yorkregion.com
Oct. 6, 2014
By Chris Simon

Your stylist could offer more than just cutting- edge hair advice this month.

The central regional cancer program is teaming up with 19 salons in York Region, North York and south Simcoe this month to promote cancer screening through the Stylists Save Lives awareness campaign.

Adapted from the Be A Breast Friend project, the program’s prevention and screening team trains stylists across the region to utilize the personal relationships they build with clients to educate on the importance of screening, cancer program project assistant Brooke Curtis said.

“I know I talk to my stylist about everything,” she said in the waiting area at the First Choice Haircutters at 60 Davis Dr., Newmarket.

“It makes sense to do a campaign where there’s that personal relationship. It’s all about increasing awareness for screening guidelines and when you should go and get tested. If we can catch things before they become cancer, it’s a huge benefit to all of us.”

More than 4,000 people were reached through the initiative last year, Curtis said.

Several First Choice locations, as well as many privately operated salons, are participating in the initiative. Each mirror at participating salons will have a sticker stating, “Stylists save lives. Ask me how." Stylists can then engage clients in conversation about cancer screening and provide a gift bag with goodies, a small gift and information pamphlets.

“We can’t stress enough how important it is to get the message out there,” First Choice senior district leader Drinda Boucher said. “We’re glad to be a part of it.”

The stylists will discuss mammograms and the Ontario Breast Screening program, the importance of providing family and medical history information to a health-care provider and pap and at-home colon cancer tests. Clients will also be told to discuss body changes or unusual symptoms with a doctor.

The goal is to increase screening rates for breast, cervical, and colorectal cancers across the region, cancer program prevention and screening manager Jennifer MacInnis-Smith said.

“This gives us a tremendous opportunity to reach out and share the benefits of cancer screening and the provincial guidelines for doing so.”