Cosmetology Professionals Are Bringing a New Form of Beauty to Healthcare as Community Health Workers – Here’s Why It Works for Them, and the Members They Serve
Since 2021, Lisa Anderson has been delivering in-home foot care to chronically ill individuals as a Belle Technician. Previously, she worked in various capacities within the cosmetology field and also as a registered medical assistant, providing home care for Alzheimer’s patients. Her varied background uniquely qualifies her to articulate the value of what Belle Technicians do on a daily basis.
“We see so many members that are alone, no family, and we’re pretty much it,” she said. “We come in and build rapport with them. They count on us to come and see them. We are the eyes and ears for the clinical team. We see what’s happening in the home and what’s going on with them psychologically and physically. Without us, they might not be seen and heard.”
Belle Technician Tracey Shirling said she regularly encounters members who have issues they can’t resolve on their own.
“I was working with a member recently who was diabetic and had neuropathy,” she said. “As I was taking photos of her foot, I noticed a large blister on her heel. She couldn’t feel it and had no idea it was there. If recording photos wasn’t part of my responsibility, and if I was not in the home providing this service, the member might have experienced much more serious issues.”
Kelsea Davis, another Belle Technician, shared a similar patient story.
“I had a member with diabetes,” she said. “Her foot had a really bad smell, was swollen and inflamed. I reached out to our clinical team, and they spoke with her and convinced her to go to the emergency room.. She was trying to tough it out. If someone wasn’t coming into her home to see that and to get her help, it’s highly likely she would have eventually had a very negative, and avoidable, outcome.”
These types of stories are the norm, day in and day out, for Belle Technicians.
“No matter how many stories we share, there will always be more,” said Heather Wasikowski, director of operations at Belle. “Every time our Technicians knock on the door, there’s a story behind it. Someone who needs help, either directly with their feet or with some other unmet need. There is endless opportunity to make a positive difference.”
Transforming Cosmetology Professionals Into Community Health Workers
In a recent blog, we discussed how more healthcare organizations are turning to non-clinical resources to respond to the onslaught of demands from an aging population amidst an ever shrinking clinical workforce. The use of community health workers (CHWs) to bring help home to individuals who are struggling with chronic disease is growing by leaps and bounds.
These non-clinical resources can take many shapes and forms. At Belle, we have tapped into the promising cosmetology workforce because of its unique possibilities and relevant skills.
Cosmetology is a very saturated and competitive industry. There are currently 649,400 hair stylists and cosmetology professionals in the United States, and another 212,700 manicurists and pedicurists. General cosmetology programs graduate roughly 35,000 new professionals annually. The vast majority of professionals in this segment are women. Generating a sustainable income can be challenging for them.
Belle’s model of delivering in-home foot care offers a career pivot that provides more stable pay and benefits as well as advancement opportunities and a sense of purpose.
“We give technicians consistency in terms of what they can generate from an income perspective, and we also create opportunities for career growth that aren’t available in a typical salon setting,” Heather said. “In a salon, they had to hustle, and likely work seven days a week to support themselves and their families. Additionally, not every technician is able to develop a consistent book of business. This is especially true for individuals coming straight out of school.”
After years of providing facials, manicures, pedicures and waxing, Tracey found herself out of work during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. As she searched for her next position, she was balancing both financial and physical priorities.
“Before the pandemic, I had a very robust client roster, and I was doing well financially,” she said. “But physically, it was wearing on me. I started in cosmetology right out of high school, so I wasn’t sure what else I could do. This has been a very welcome opportunity for me. It is more stable and sustainable than having to worry about filling your calendar and making commissions. Meanwhile, it also gives your body a break, because you aren’t forced to book back to back appointments for ten hours straight.”
Joining Belle more than three years ago was a full circle moment for Tippy Dankanich. She was on her way to completing nursing school when she fell in love with cosmetology. What started as a part time job to finance tuition turned into a career. After years of serving as a nail technician, she spent time in a podiatrist’s office and then full time with Belle as a technician.
“Working on nails started as an outlet for me, but it stuck with me because I’m an artist at heart, and this was a way of expressing that,” she said. “But I’ve also always loved making a difference, and now I have the ability to do that as well.” In her free time, Tippy refurbishes furniture. She’s basically a full-time beauty maker.
While entering the healthcare space is a brand new world for technicians, the transition from cosmetology is more natural and seamless than it seems on the surface.
“It wasn’t a difficult transition for me at all, because in cosmetology you learn a lot about conditions affecting the hands, feet and face,” Tracey explained. “You learn the histology of skin, bones, diabetes as well as any issues related to hands and feet.”
Additionally, the core skills required for success in cosmetology transfer well to this type of healthcare.
“I like to make people happy, and as it turns out that is a critical skill for this role,” Tracy said. “The service we are delivering is actually hospitality. The same rules apply. How you treat the member matters. How you make them feel matters. You either connect with the member and create joy, or you don’t. Your skill in terms of providing quality foot care is important, but the experience for the member is equally important.”
Empathy and Passion As Engagement Superpowers
For Lisa, the key to success is empathy.
“Being able to put yourself in someone else’s shoes is the most important thing,” she said. “Sometimes that has nothing to do with their feet.”
She recalls when one member’s world turned upside down after her husband unexpectedly ended up in hospice. Having someone there to talk about it, and allowing her to feel heard and not rushed, was extremely important.
Another example is when a member lost a pet.
“I love dogs, and she loved her dog, so we cried together,” Lisa shared. “She was thankful to have someone there for her who understood the pain she was experiencing.”
Kelsea added another key ingredient when supporting members.
“You have to have passion, and you have to really care,” she said.
Before Belle, Kelsea was cutting men’s hair and then working at a Brazilian wax center. Those were good jobs, but something was missing.
“I wasn’t doing much to actually help people,” she said. “I wanted to do more and have a purpose, something I could be passionate about doing. I have that now. Members sometimes ask me if they can adopt me as their child. That’s the kind of difference I am making in their lives.”
She continued.
“When I see a member in extreme pain, not getting what they need, that’s the hardest part of the job. It’s up to us as technicians to make sure these members get the care and attention they deserve.”
Setting Technicians Up for Success in the Home
Despite the natural transition from cosmetology, technicians do require training and support to ensure they can be effective when providing the service and protecting personal health information. Belle provides Technicians with a robust training curriculum that includes e-learning modules and shadowing of technicians in the field. Technicians are trained in critical topics such as HIPAA and how to protect the privacy of member information as well as how to successfully engage with members and how to effectively access and escalate member concerns to clinical teams. In addition to initial training programs, Belle provides continuing education for technicians, including consistent sharing of best practices and topical learning sessions all geared toward making them more equipped to thrive in their role.
Continuous improvement is also a focus. Technicians are evaluated on their ability to arrive on time for appointments, schedule members for a subsequent visit and capture necessary data while serving members. This includes proper documentation via photos, as well as recording health information and SDoH needs. The resulting scorecards are used to coach and improve performance in real time.
With the help of a mobile app, Belle staff can easily record important notes about each member visit, capture health data and document lower extremity issues via digital photographs. They can also ask questions of the clinical team and get immediate feedback. If a member has a question the Technician can’t answer, or if there is an urgent clinical concern, she will get an immediate response.
The company is also investing in machine learning and AI initiatives to help ensure standardization and consistent quality across every in-home visit. These AI and ML tools will further equip Belle Technicians to prevent member concerns from slipping through the cracks. They will help elevate all key issues to clinical teams for further review and ensure that every in-home visit accurately evaluates health status and flags all relevant concerns.
“Having this type of technology in their pockets during visits takes the guesswork out of the assessment and reporting side of things, so our technicians can focus on a great member experience and building strong relationships,” Heather said. “That’s the magic of this program.”
In addition to the critical healthcare needs this service addresses, there’s an even broader void being filled by home visits, suggested Lisa.
“No one is making real human contact anymore,” she explained. “Everything is online. This generation is not used to things like groceries being dropped at their door. They are accustomed to interactions. Losing that is hard for them, and I think as a society we underestimate the impact this is having on older adults. We’re not just providing them a foot service and helping connect them to help they need. We’re also going through the emotional ups and downs with them. Just having someone to talk to and feeling like someone is there for them is huge.”
Want to hear more stories from the field, or learn more about Belle’s model and how we are positively impacting health plan members? Contact us today!