RANCHO CUCAMONGA, Calif. — Barbershop talk is usually about sports, business or family.

Inside of Thee Latest Barbershop, owner Tim Stansell talks to his customers and barbers about their health — particularly their heart health.

“It ain’t nothing to be ashamed about,” Stansell said. “It’s about saving lives, man. I don’t want people to go through what I went through.”

A year ago, Stansell had his blood pressure screened by volunteers with the Pressure Project. A project started by Healthy Heart Nation who brings pop-up blood pressure screenings at barber shops and churches.

According to the American Heart Association, 55% of Black adults have high blood pressure, also known as hypertension. 

The Centers for Disease Control report that heart disease has been the leading cause of death among Black Americans in recent years.

“I truly believe that if my wife didn’t make me go that day [to the hospital], I truly believe that there would be a great chance that I wouldn’t be doing this interview,” Stansell said.

Dr. Anissa Lacount, who leads The Pressure Project, said the lack of quality health care and healthy foods in Black communities play a major role in the concerning statistics.

“It’s not just about this moment, it’s actually them taking this information to their grandmother, onto their mother, their auntie,” Lacount said.

Since February 2023, Healthy Heart Nation has taken over 1,000 blood pressure screenings at barber shops and churches across the Inland Empire. A big part of Lacount’s work in the project is to rebuild trust between the Black community and health care professionals.

“We have to really go in with humility and going to the community with non-judgment,” Lacount said. “Making sure that they know that we are there just to make them much better.”

Health checks by people that care about people like Stansell who say saved his life and can save many others, hoping to motivate the Black community to be vigilant about what’s going on with our bodies.

“I’m not ashamed to share that I had to get a pacemaker,” Stansell said. “We must go get checked. We need not to be hardheaded and we need to do what’s necessary for us to be here. It can go bad really quick.”