Residents of Milwaukee were offered the chance to have more than just a haircut at Gee’s Clippers barbershop recently when the popular barbershop was offering Covid-19 vaccinations.
Gaulien ‘Gee’ Smith, owner of the shop had teamed up with Anthem Blue cross Shield, Hayat Pharmacy and Unite WI to turn his wellness clinic into a Covid vaccination site.
The clinic, located at the back of his barbershop at 2200 N. King Drive, operated every Saturday starting March 27 through April 17.
“I’m geeked,” Smith said of the opportunity for Gee’s MKE Wellness Clinic. “This is something that I’ve been wanting to do for some time once I knew that the vaccine was coming out. There are so many African Americans — for their own reasons — not getting the vaccine.”
Having a site in the heart of the city would encourage more people to get the vaccine and make it more accessible. Milwaukee County officials recently expanded the eligibility to get the vaccine to those as young as 16 years old in certain ZIP codes.
“Getting back to normal,” he added, “means being part of the cure. The vaccine has been proven safe,” said Smith, who has done public service announcements with Froedtert Hospital and Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield promoting the safety and efficacy of the vaccine in Blacks.