BP Fossella, NYU Langone Celebrate Barber Shop Owners who Made SI CLIP Program Possible
Editor’s note: Staten Islander News previously covered this organization back in 2021 when it expanded to additional barber shops on Staten Island after the initial success of the program.
Staten Island, NY – Borough President Vito Fossella, NYU Langone Health and community health leaders will celebrate years of success of the SI CLIP Barber Shop Program by honoring the owners of the barber shops that helped facilitate the program. This took place at an SI CLIP celebration at Snug Harbor’s Building P on Monday, July 29th at 6:00 PM.
The Staten Island CLIP program, short-hand for Community-to-Clinic Linkage Implementation Program, is a joint initiative of the Borough President’s Office and NYU Langone Health which aims to combat the increased prevalence of high blood pressure and other dangerous cardiovascular conditions disproportionately affecting Black men on Staten Island.
As part of the Health Equity Research Network and with the funding and support of the American Heart Association, the CLIP program offers men free blood pressure screenings, health coaching, and referrals to health resources. The program has been carried out through 22 participating barber shops on the North Shore, without whom the program wouldn’t be possible.
The program has been accompanied by a public campaign, “Get Down Under 120/80”, which partners with Community Health Action, Anthem BlueCross BlueShield, Emblem Health, Healthfirst, and MetroPlus Health.
To celebrate the success of the SI CLIP program, the Borough President’s office and NYU Langone Health partnered with Snug Harbor’s Sprinklerfest for a Health Fair Monday afternoon from 12 PM to 4:30 PM, in which the program’s health partners will offer screenings, vaccines, healthy lifestyle education, and behavioral health information alongside fun activities for families and children.
Following the health fair, BP Fossella and the SI CLIP team will present awards to the barber shop owners at a celebration in Building P, to honor their commitment to using their businesses as platforms to promote good cardiovascular health. The list of honorees are as follows:
- Raphy’s Barbershop
- Back2Life Barbershop
- Pop’s Barber Shop
- Executive Stylez Barber Shop
- VIP Barbershop Corp.
- Against the Grain Barbershop
- New Style Dominican Barbershop
- Heavenly Cuts
- Wild Style Barber Shop
- MT-Clippers Barbershop
- Angel’s Barbershop
- Straightrazor Barbershop
- VIP Hair Studio Unisex Salon
- The Loc Shop
- Elite Barber Studio
- JB Barbershop
- Back 2 Life Studio
- Vikingos Barber Shop
- Gissy Salon Suites & Groom LLC
- VIP Barbershop Corp.
- Nu Brighton City Cutz
Banner Image: Life’s Essential 8. Image Credit – AHA/ SI CLIP (Learn more about the Essential 8 on their Instagram page)
BP Vito Fossella
The Office of the Borough President has a responsibility to advocate for the entire Borough of Staten Island and all its residents, and represents the Borough's interests within City government. The Borough President communicates directly with the Mayor and the City Council to emphasize Staten Island’s budget priorities. In addition, the Borough President is responsible for reviewing major land use decisions and proposing sites for city facilities within the Borough. As the chair of the Borough Board, the Borough President leads Staten Island’s City Council delegation and Community Board chairs in the process of reviewing and approving the transfer of public properties to private use. The Borough President’s Office houses the Borough's Topographical Bureau, which maintains the borough’s official maps and assigns street addresses. The Borough President monitors the delivery of city services on Staten Island, and acts as a liaison between residents and city agencies when problems arise to devise solutions. The Borough President is also responsible for appointing one member to the Panel for Educational Policy and one member to the City Planning Commission, as well as some 150 members to Staten Island’s three community boards.