- Dermaine Davis partnered with UNMC and Nebraska Medicine to host screenings at his 24th Street barbershop.
- Black men face nearly 70% higher prostate cancer incidence and double the mortality rate compared to white men.
- Doctors say screenings are now less invasive and are working to change misconceptions by meeting people in community spaces.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
This weekend, one barbershop also served as a space to keep men’s health at the top of their minds—by offering free prostate screenings.
It’s not often prostate screenings come up in a barbershop. But on Saturday morning, that was the main topic while some got haircuts.
“I opened this abrbership for this cause to let men know.. thats over 40 that its okay to get their PSA check,” said Dermaine Davis, owner of Maine Focus Barber and Beauty on 24th Street.
Davis partnered with UNMC and Nebraska Medicine to bring the screening to his clientele.
“They feel comfortable coming to place they are familiar with versus coming to a doctors office that they dont know people or dont know peolpe of the community,” Davis added.
According to the American Cancer Society, Black men face significantly higher risks of developing or dying from prostate cancer—with rates nearly 70% higher for incidence and twice as high for mortality compared to white men.
“alot of people get prostate cancer as they get older.. but most peolple are waiting for symptoms to come in where in reality you need to come in and get screened on the yearly basis,” said Dr. Alberto Marcelin.
Marcelin explained that with new technology, prostate screenings are no longer invasive. That’s one reason he and his team are bringing them into community spaces—hoping to break down misconceptions.
“this is out spot, this is where we come in, this is where we come to talk to each other about community aout whats going on in our family— so our goal is to come to where you are at and grab you and tell you itd accesisble,” Marcelin said.
Davis agreed, sharing that the screening was easier than he once thought.
“just doing the research on it and just seeing that theres other ways we can do it… versus um the wya i thought it was and all it is was blood drawn… and i was okay with that,” Davis said.
Two sessions were held Saturday at barbershops on 24th Street, but organizers say more events like this are planned to keep the conversation going.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
