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�պ����� Medical Center’s Hair Equity Project, launched a year ago in February—Black History Month—is still going strong, NBC5 reports.

The program was created to educate doctors and nurses about preserving textured hair during emergency medical procedures and to provide products that are safe for Black people to use. Products specifically made to protect textured hair are available to patients during overnight stays at the hospital, and staff at the hospital are trained in the best practices to protect different hair types. Thirty-three different products and 15 test participants, all with varying hair textures, helped to make this possible. All products and training have been fully integrated into the hospital campus and are now being distributed across other affiliated locations.

When the program was , �պ�����MC President and COO Stephen Leffler, M.D.’90, Larner professor of emergency medicine, and �պ�����MC Vice President of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Marissa Coleman, Psy.D., clinical assistant professor of psychiatry at Larner, stated to NBC5: 

“This effort aligns with our broader commitment to fostering inclusivity and providing culturally humble health care services to all we serve.” 

Local Black business owner and hairstylist Pascale Onguende, proprietor of Braids by Pascale in South Burlington, was enlisted to help teach staff how to properly care for Black patients’ hair.

The Hair Equity Project is closing the inequity gap when it comes to patient hair care and charting a path for inclusive care. And the conversation at �պ����� is expanding—the team is exploring forms of head coverings for under-represented groups.

This story was also covered in the (Fort Myers, Fla.)