Fade Out MDD: A Wellness Event Addressing Racial Disparities in Depression Care

Contact: MATT MILLER
Phone: 646-336-6495
Fax: 646-336-6497
Email: [email protected]

NEW YORK (07/25/25) – DKBmed, in partnership with Penn Medicine and barber influencer Tyrik Jackson, is hosting a health and wellness event that seeks to address the underdiagnosis and undertreatment of depression among Black and Hispanic men living in Lancaster.

All are invited to attend this free health and wellness community event, which is scheduled for Thursday, August 21st between 1-5 PM EST at Sharper Image Barbershop, located at 361 E Chestnut St, Lancaster, PA.

All attendees will be able to receive depression screening by medical professionals from Lancaster General Health trained in detecting the signs of clinical depression. If needed, attendees can also receive a referral to a local clinician for care, along with educational material on how to recognize and manage symptoms of depression.

Although depression affects people from all backgrounds, it is disproportionately underdiagnosed among members of racial and ethnic minority groups. Members of these communities often face a stigma for seeking care for their depression and often lack consistent access to mental health care resources. Survey data have also consistently shown that Black and Hispanic men and women have cultural mistrust of health care providers and the health care system overall. Barbers, as accessible, trusted members of these communities, are a potential link between people struggling with depression and medical professionals.

In addition to a screening event, Fade Out MDD: Barber and Clinician Outreach will have a clinician-facing educational component and educational sessions for barbers so that they link their customers to care.

DKBmed has previously developed similar, barber-focused education on other pertinent conditions that affect members of the Black and Hispanic communities, such as HIV and type 2 diabetes.

About Penn Medicine

Penn Medicine is leading provider of primary care and specialty medical services to the residents of Central Pennsylvania. Since its founding in 1893, Penn Medicine has become renowned for its innovative, compassionate care and offers patients access to some of the world’s most advanced research and clinical trials. Advancing health equity is a foundational component of Penn Medicine, along with promoting general wellness and the prevention of diseases. To learn more about Penn Medicine, visit their website: https://www.pennmedicine.org/locations/entity/lancaster-general-health

About Tyrik Jackson

Tyrik Jackson is a licensed international educator, mentor, barber, and owner of the Premier Barber Institute. Through his platform, Tyrik Jackson helps deliver education on relevant conditions that heavily affect members of racial and ethnic minority groups, such as HIV and type 2 diabetes. To learn more about Tyrik Jackson, visit his Instagram: @iamtyrikjackson

About DKBmed

DKBmed is an integrated continuing medical education company operated by an experienced team of medical education experts. DKBmed provides health care professionals with effective medical education that closes identified knowledge and practice gaps to improve patient health.

Working with accredited providers and other partners, DKBmed develops innovative educational programs and quality improvement (QI) initiatives, bringing new learning methodologies to the CME landscape. DKBmed has become a leader in QI in the independent medical education space with QI projects in Pain Management, HIV, Depression, Influenza, and Diabetic Eye Disease. DKBmed was also an early adopter of case scenarios with real patients and live actors, TED/DKBmed Talks, 3D animation, webcasts, podcasts, and smart phone applications for clinicians and patients. These forward-thinking approaches enable health care professionals to learn and access educational programs in a manner that is most convenient and appropriate for them.

DKBmed’s programs are accessible through the company’s website (www.dkbmed.com). They reach more than 150,000 health care professionals in primary care and in a variety of specialties and disease states including: HIV, COVID-19, cystic fibrosis, diabetes, influenza, dermatology, retinal disease, rheumatoid arthritis, COPD, asthma, multiple sclerosis, pain management, depression and viral hepatitis (HBV, HCV) and oncology.