South Middlesex Times

When hospitalized, maintaining basic daily grooming can be challenging, particularly during extended stays. This lack of personal care can negatively impact a patient's mood and overall outlook.

Vaishali Ravikumar, a former student at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School (NJMS), observed this issue firsthand at Newark’s University Hospital. In response, she initiated Bergen Barbers in 2021, a program offering haircutting and shaving services to patients in the hospital's trauma and medicine services. The initiative is named after Bergen Street in Newark, where University Hospital is located.

Ravikumar, now an OBGYN intern at the University of Arizona, conceived the idea during her third-year trauma surgery rotation. She recalls a particular incident that spurred her into action: “A patient who had been hospitalized for many days became so frustrated that he was on the verge of checking himself out against medical advice,” she says. “His long, matted hair and unbrushed beard were making him very uncomfortable. My attending [physician] suggested I do something about it.”

Using available toiletries from hospital supply rooms, Ravikumar provided the patient with an impromptu barbershop experience. “He requested a faux hawk, and I did my best to deliver,” she says. The process lifted his spirits significantly and improved his trust in the healthcare team.

Inspired by this outcome, Ravikumar sought to extend these services to other long-term patients. She enlisted several NJMS student volunteers: Hetal Lad, Sowntharya Ayyappan, Ivan Loncar, Shivani Srivastava and Matthew Del Signore (now an internal medicine resident at St. Luke’s).

The Bergen Barbers project is part of the Pozen Scholars Program which supports student-run community activities at NJMS. Despite having no prior experience in cutting hair or shaving others, Ravikumar and her team learned through YouTube tutorials how to use clippers and provide basic haircuts.

“We learned how to use a clipper and how to give a basic haircut,” Ravikumar explains. For women’s haircuts they perform straight cuts; for men’s haircuts they tailor their approach based on individual preferences.

Patients are selected by nursing staff on surgery and medicine floors ensuring they can consent and do not have conditions like traumatic brain injuries or severe blood clotting disorders that could complicate grooming procedures.

Feedback from patients has been overwhelmingly positive:

- "My head feels cleaner and more comfortable. I can feel a breeze again!"

- "Now I won’t have food stuck in my beard and mustache."

- "I wish I had my wallet here so I could pay you!"

Looking ahead, the team plans fundraisers to expand their range of products including nail polish, aftershave items for textured hair types as well as learning new skills such as braiding Black women’s hair using mannequins for practice.

Faculty mentor Amy Gore commends Ravikumar's efforts: “I was so excited when Vaishali approached me with this idea... It has been truly inspirational watching her bring Bergen Barbers to fruition.”

Reflecting on her journey thus far Ravikumar states: “It’s rewarding to feel that I contributed...and served my community with skills I learned on my own.”