CPIC integral to evaluation of campaign's effectiveness; other areas to replicate approach
FREMONT, Calif., Jan. 12, 2011
PR Newswire Press Release
The Cancer Prevention Institute of California (CPIC) and three other institutions have released new research findings to demonstrate that the massive collaborative effort known as the San Francisco Hep B Free campaign has increased awareness, testing and vaccination for chronic hepatitis B – a silent killer and the leading cause of liver cancer – in the city's Asian and Pacific Islander community. Asians and Pacific Islanders are the racial/ethnic group at highest risk of chronic hepatitis B.
CPIC Research Scientist Ellen Chang, Sc.D., played an essential role in the breakthrough study just published in the Journal of Community Health. She and colleagues from the San Francisco Department of Public Health, the AsianWeek Foundation, and the Asian Liver Center at Stanford University found that Hep B Free provides communities with a powerful and cost-efficient model to prevent hepatitis B and associated liver cancer in at-risk populations.
Last May, the New York Times covered the campaign, which started in 2007, for its striking yet controversial advertisements.
"Because of this innovative and inclusive campaign, which pulled together 160 public and private partners across San Francisco, thousands of high-risk individuals were vaccinated, preventing them from ever developing liver cancer due to hepatitis B," said Dr. Chang. "Thousands more were screened for chronic hepatitis B, enabling those who tested positive to be routinely screened for liver cancer to catch the disease early and cure it."
The campaign was the first city-wide effort to combat hepatitis B and the first to focus so broadly on Asian and Pacific Islander health. Partners included the Asian and Pacific Islander community, the health care system, policymakers, public officials, businesses, and the general public.
Dr. Chang and her study collaborators showed an 8% increase in hepatitis B screening tests throughout San Francisco from 2006 (just before the campaign was launched) to 2008 and a 17% increase in tests for immunity from the disease. Community events and fairs designed to increase hepatitis B awareness and prevention reached 200,000 individuals.
Prior to the campaign's launch, 30% of primary health care providers in San Francisco could not correctly identify the screening test for hepatitis B and most underestimated the burden of hepatitis B in Asians and Pacific Islanders. As a result of the educational events and materials distributed, more than half of primary care physicians in San Francisco and all hospitals in the city pledged to screen Asian and Pacific Islander individuals routinely for the disease.
For the entire article, and more information about CPIC's research study,
click here
For a PDF version of the article, click here
SOURCE Cancer Prevention Institute of California
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Showing posts with label Steering: ALC. Show all posts
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Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Friday, May 18, 2007
Thursday, May 17, 2007
AsianConnections.com: "Asian American Reality TV Hunks Take Off Their Shirts for the San Francisco Hep B Free Campaign"
May 16, 2007, Yul Kwon and Sophie Tan at the 2007 AZN Asian Excellence Awards held at the Royce Hall in Westwood, CA. Photo by Erica Mueller©Berliner Studio/BEImages
San Francisco, CA (May 17, 2007)- Yul Kwon, winner of CBS's Survivor: Cook Islands (and new CNN correspondent) along with the Cho Brothers of CBS's Amazing Race 10 will be screened for hepatitis B during the Asian Heritage Street Celebration (AHSC) in San Francisco's SOMA district at 1025 Howard Street on Saturday, May 19th, 2007. The Asian Liver Center at Stanford University will provide free hepatitis B screenings and vaccinations will be available at $20 per shot while supplies last.
These screenings and vaccinations are a major step for San Francisco Hep B Free, a two-year-long campaign for the city to become the first in the nation to screen, vaccinate, and treat all Asian Pacific American (APA) residents for Hepatitis B (HBV).
San Francisco's APA residents comprise of 34% of the city's population and bear a disproportionate burden of many undetected HBV infections and the highest liver cancer rate in the nation. While about 1 in 1,000 of the general US population has chronic HBV infection, 1 in 10 people in the API community are potentially living with an undiagnosed infection. APIs are 100 times more likely to suffer from chronic HBV infection and four times more likely to die from liver cancer compared with the general population.
"There are an estimated 25,000 APAs living in the city of San Francisco with chronic hepatitis B, and an additional 100,000 who are unprotected," said Dr. Samuel So, Director, Asian Liver Center at Stanford University. "There's a real need for increased hepatitis B testing and vaccination in the APA community. More than half of the deaths from hepatitis B are from our community, yet the seriousness of this disease is under-appreciated, under-diagnosed, and under-treated. We are grateful for everyone's support in promoting awareness and prevention of this silent epidemic."
"Many people are unaware that they may be infected with the disease and that is why this campaign is so important," said Assemblywoman Fiona Ma, Honorary Chairperson, SF Hep B Free Steering Committee. "Getting tested and vaccinated and/or receiving treatment will save lives and help make San Francisco hep B free."
1025 Howard Street, from 11 am to 4 pm
SOMA District of San Francisco, CA
www.SFHepBfree.org.
www.liver.stanford.edu.
visit www.sfcdcp.org.
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
Sunday, May 13, 2007
Pasadena Star-News
By Patricia Jiayi Ho Staff Writer
As an Asian-American politician, Chi Mui was part of an elite new group of leaders. He became San Gabriel's first Asian mayor in March 2006.
As an Asian, Mui belonged to a larger, more disturbing health care demographic. He died of liver cancer after about a month in the position, at 53.
Mui had hepatitis B, a disease that can be prevented and that is dubbed a "silent killer" that affects a disproportionate number of Asians. The virus puts them at greater risk of developing liver cancer and cirrhosis.
The HBV-related death rate among Asian Americans is seven times greater than the rate among American whites, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Race-specific attention to the virus consists so far of patchwork efforts by nonprofits, some of which piece together funding sources for workshops, screening fairs and vaccinations.
Health care workers say a more comprehensive approach is needed.
"Hepatitis B and liver cancer is the greatest health care disparity," said the center's director, Dr. Sammy So. "Almost every Asian knows of someone who died from liver cancer."
Chronic hepatitis B infection affects 0.3 percent of the U.S. population, but Asians make up more than half, or roughly 700,000, of the known hepatitis B carriers, according to the Asian Liver Center at Stanford University. Most contract the virus overseas, and many are unaware they have it.
Of the HBV-positive women who gave birth in Los Angeles County in 2005, 81 percent were Asian, according to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. Nearly 50 percent were from the San Gabriel Valley.
While the virus can be spread through unprotected sex and shared needles, experts say most Asians become infected through their mothers during birth or in childhood.
A vaccine can actually knock down the disease after it is contracted if administered at young enough an age.
The Herald Cancer Association in San Gabriel relies on funding from foundations, medical centers and drug companies to sponsor outreach programs, which are held in Mandarin and English.
"Without the help of the government, we're just a nonprofit at the mercy of pharmaceuticals, whether they will give us the grant or not," said Rev. David Lee, director of the Christian-based association.
At a screening event in October, more than one out of 10 participants tested positive for the virus.
Follow-up is crucial for carriers, said Lee, who was diagnosed as a carrier in his late teens.
To compare Chi Mui and Lee, the difference early detection makes is life or death.
Like Mui, Lee, 47, said he realized he was infected when he first tried to donate blood as a young man. Based on the science back then, he was told not to worry about it. But Lee had half his liver removed at 34, after doctors discovered a tumor.
Mui was less fortunate. He was caught up with campaigning for City Council, said Mui's widow, Betty Mui. After two years without tests, doctors found an 8cm liver tumor. The cancer later spread to his pelvic bone.
"It developed so fast," said Betty Mui, who is now a key volunteer at Herald Cancer Association. She also contracted the virus at a young age and gets regular blood tests and ultrasound screenings. "People have to be very careful about it."
Hepatitis B can go undiagnosed. Carriers usually have no symptoms and appear healthy. It may not show up on tests for liver function, and doctors don't always think to order specific blood work to test for it, Lee said.
By the time patients notice the yellow eyes and swollen bellies associated with cirrhosis, or the vague upper abdominal pain that may indicate liver cancer, their problems are at an advanced stage. Treatment of liver disease is complicated and risky; transplants are hard to come by.
"We feel that in the Chinese community, knowledge is spreading," said Lucy Young, Herald's cancer projects director. "We receive quite a few phone calls about when we will do blood tests again, vaccinate again."
The programs are on hiatus while funding is sought. Three shots costing as much as $60 each are required for vaccination. The association also works with a hodgepodge of community groups in San Diego and Orange counties.
"We still have a lot of work to do, not only in San Gabriel Valley," Young said. "Those carriers, most of them are in the underserved population. Either they don't have insurance coverage or they don't know where to go for follow-up."
The hepatitis B vaccine was introduced in the early 1980s. Since the early '90s, it has been administered to most infants born in the United States. In California, vaccination is required for entry to kindergarten and the seventh grade, said Laurene Mascola, who heads Los Angeles County's Acute Communicable Disease Control Program.
The county's hepatitis B efforts center on vaccinating infants and tracking pregnant women who have HBV, and high-risk behavior groups such as jail populations and gay men.
"Eventually we'll burn out the disease as more and more people are vaccinated," Mascola said.
Nonetheless, some health care professionals are eagerly awaiting the outcome of a bill currently making its way through the state Assembly.
"This is something near and dear to my heart," said the bill's author, Assemblywoman Fiona Ma, D-San Francisco. She contracted the virus from her mother.
Without screening and management, one in four with the virus will die from liver cancer or cirrhosis, according to the Asian Liver Center.
San Francisco launched a campaign in April to test and vaccinate all its Asian residents for hepatitis B, a combined effort by the city government, private healthcare and community organizations.
AB 158 was passed in the Assembly Health Committee in April, the first of several hurdles it must clear before it can land on the governor's desk in the fall.
"It is a public health concern; it deserves funds from legislative avenues," said Jeff Goad, an associate professor of clinical pharmacy at USC and a member of a hepatitis B taskforce. "There is not a lot of action to fund treatment and management. The government ... allows the private system to handle treatment, but that doesn't always happen."
One of the organizations that stands to benefit from the bill is St. Vincent Medical Center in Los Angeles. The hospital is opening a center in July that will deal specifically with hepatitis in Asians and could receive some of the $4 million the bill proposes.
"I don't think there is a recognition even among physicians of the magnitude of the problem among Asians," said Tse-Ling Fong, a liver specialist who will direct the Asian Pacific Liver Center.
Fong said the center will target Asians 18 and older, particularly those born overseas. In keeping with the hospital's charitable care policy, the center will accept both insured and uninsured patients.
"My hope is that three or four generations from now, hepatitis B will be something like smallpox that we no longer talk about," Fong said.
As an Asian-American politician, Chi Mui was part of an elite new group of leaders. He became San Gabriel's first Asian mayor in March 2006.
As an Asian, Mui belonged to a larger, more disturbing health care demographic. He died of liver cancer after about a month in the position, at 53.
Mui had hepatitis B, a disease that can be prevented and that is dubbed a "silent killer" that affects a disproportionate number of Asians. The virus puts them at greater risk of developing liver cancer and cirrhosis.
The HBV-related death rate among Asian Americans is seven times greater than the rate among American whites, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Race-specific attention to the virus consists so far of patchwork efforts by nonprofits, some of which piece together funding sources for workshops, screening fairs and vaccinations.
Health care workers say a more comprehensive approach is needed.
"Hepatitis B and liver cancer is the greatest health care disparity," said the center's director, Dr. Sammy So. "Almost every Asian knows of someone who died from liver cancer."
Chronic hepatitis B infection affects 0.3 percent of the U.S. population, but Asians make up more than half, or roughly 700,000, of the known hepatitis B carriers, according to the Asian Liver Center at Stanford University. Most contract the virus overseas, and many are unaware they have it.
Of the HBV-positive women who gave birth in Los Angeles County in 2005, 81 percent were Asian, according to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. Nearly 50 percent were from the San Gabriel Valley.
While the virus can be spread through unprotected sex and shared needles, experts say most Asians become infected through their mothers during birth or in childhood.
A vaccine can actually knock down the disease after it is contracted if administered at young enough an age.
The Herald Cancer Association in San Gabriel relies on funding from foundations, medical centers and drug companies to sponsor outreach programs, which are held in Mandarin and English.
"Without the help of the government, we're just a nonprofit at the mercy of pharmaceuticals, whether they will give us the grant or not," said Rev. David Lee, director of the Christian-based association.
At a screening event in October, more than one out of 10 participants tested positive for the virus.
Follow-up is crucial for carriers, said Lee, who was diagnosed as a carrier in his late teens.
To compare Chi Mui and Lee, the difference early detection makes is life or death.
Like Mui, Lee, 47, said he realized he was infected when he first tried to donate blood as a young man. Based on the science back then, he was told not to worry about it. But Lee had half his liver removed at 34, after doctors discovered a tumor.
Mui was less fortunate. He was caught up with campaigning for City Council, said Mui's widow, Betty Mui. After two years without tests, doctors found an 8cm liver tumor. The cancer later spread to his pelvic bone.
"It developed so fast," said Betty Mui, who is now a key volunteer at Herald Cancer Association. She also contracted the virus at a young age and gets regular blood tests and ultrasound screenings. "People have to be very careful about it."
Hepatitis B can go undiagnosed. Carriers usually have no symptoms and appear healthy. It may not show up on tests for liver function, and doctors don't always think to order specific blood work to test for it, Lee said.
By the time patients notice the yellow eyes and swollen bellies associated with cirrhosis, or the vague upper abdominal pain that may indicate liver cancer, their problems are at an advanced stage. Treatment of liver disease is complicated and risky; transplants are hard to come by.
"We feel that in the Chinese community, knowledge is spreading," said Lucy Young, Herald's cancer projects director. "We receive quite a few phone calls about when we will do blood tests again, vaccinate again."
The programs are on hiatus while funding is sought. Three shots costing as much as $60 each are required for vaccination. The association also works with a hodgepodge of community groups in San Diego and Orange counties.
"We still have a lot of work to do, not only in San Gabriel Valley," Young said. "Those carriers, most of them are in the underserved population. Either they don't have insurance coverage or they don't know where to go for follow-up."
The hepatitis B vaccine was introduced in the early 1980s. Since the early '90s, it has been administered to most infants born in the United States. In California, vaccination is required for entry to kindergarten and the seventh grade, said Laurene Mascola, who heads Los Angeles County's Acute Communicable Disease Control Program.
The county's hepatitis B efforts center on vaccinating infants and tracking pregnant women who have HBV, and high-risk behavior groups such as jail populations and gay men.
"Eventually we'll burn out the disease as more and more people are vaccinated," Mascola said.
Nonetheless, some health care professionals are eagerly awaiting the outcome of a bill currently making its way through the state Assembly.
"This is something near and dear to my heart," said the bill's author, Assemblywoman Fiona Ma, D-San Francisco. She contracted the virus from her mother.
Without screening and management, one in four with the virus will die from liver cancer or cirrhosis, according to the Asian Liver Center.
San Francisco launched a campaign in April to test and vaccinate all its Asian residents for hepatitis B, a combined effort by the city government, private healthcare and community organizations.
AB 158 was passed in the Assembly Health Committee in April, the first of several hurdles it must clear before it can land on the governor's desk in the fall.
"It is a public health concern; it deserves funds from legislative avenues," said Jeff Goad, an associate professor of clinical pharmacy at USC and a member of a hepatitis B taskforce. "There is not a lot of action to fund treatment and management. The government ... allows the private system to handle treatment, but that doesn't always happen."
One of the organizations that stands to benefit from the bill is St. Vincent Medical Center in Los Angeles. The hospital is opening a center in July that will deal specifically with hepatitis in Asians and could receive some of the $4 million the bill proposes.
"I don't think there is a recognition even among physicians of the magnitude of the problem among Asians," said Tse-Ling Fong, a liver specialist who will direct the Asian Pacific Liver Center.
Fong said the center will target Asians 18 and older, particularly those born overseas. In keeping with the hospital's charitable care policy, the center will accept both insured and uninsured patients.
"My hope is that three or four generations from now, hepatitis B will be something like smallpox that we no longer talk about," Fong said.
Whittier Daily News: Asians losing race with hepatitis
Asians losing race with hepatitis
Liver diseases occur at much greater rate
By Patricia Jiayi Ho Staff Writer
Whittier Daily News
As an Asian-American politician, Chi Mui was part of an elite new group of leaders. He became San Gabriel's first Asian mayor in March 2006.
As an Asian, Mui belonged to a larger, more disturbing health care demographic. He died of liver cancer after about a month in the position, at 53.
Mui had hepatitis B, a disease that can be prevented and that is dubbed a "silent killer" that affects a disproportionate number of Asians. The virus puts them at greater risk of developing liver cancer and cirrhosis.
The HBV-related death rate among Asian Americans is seven times greater than the rate among American whites, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Race-specific attention to the virus consists so far of patchwork efforts by nonprofits, some of which piece together funding sources for workshops, screening fairs and vaccinations.
Health care workers say a more comprehensive approach is needed.
"Hepatitis B and liver cancer is the greatest health care disparity," said the center's director, Dr. Sammy So. "Almost every Asian knows of someone who died from liver cancer."
Chronic hepatitis B infection affects 0.3 percent of the U.S. population, but Asians make up more than half, or roughly 700,000, of the known hepatitis B carriers, according to the Asian Liver Center at Stanford University. Most contract the virus overseas, and many are unaware they have it.
Of the HBV-positive women who gave birth in Los Angeles County in 2005, 81 percent were Asian, according to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. Nearly 50 percent were from the San Gabriel Valley.
While the virus can be spread through unprotected sex and shared needles, experts say most Asians become infected through their mothers during birth or in childhood.
A vaccine can actually knock down the disease after it is contracted if administered at young enough an age.
The Herald Cancer Association in San Gabriel relies on funding from foundations, medical centers and drug companies to sponsor outreach programs, which are held in Mandarin and English.
"Without the help of the government, we're just a nonprofit at the mercy of pharmaceuticals, whether they will give us the grant or not," said the Rev. David Lee, director of the Christian-based association.
At a screening event in October, more than one out of 10 participants tested positive for the virus.
Follow-up is crucial for carriers, said Lee, who was diagnosed as a carrier in his late teens.
To compare Chi Mui and Lee, the difference early detection makes is life or death.
Like Mui, Lee, 47, said he realized he was infected when he first tried to donate blood as a young man. Based on the science back then, he was told not to worry about it. But Lee had half his liver removed at 34, after doctors discovered a tumor.
Mui was less fortunate. He was caught up with campaigning for City Council, said Mui's widow, Betty Mui. After two years without tests, doctors found an 8cm liver tumor. The cancer later spread to his pelvic bone.
"It developed so fast," said Betty Mui, who is now a key volunteer at Herald Cancer Association. She also contracted the virus at a young age and gets regular blood tests and ultrasound screenings. "People have to be very careful about it."
Hepatitis B can go undiagnosed. Carriers usually have no symptoms and appear healthy. It may not show up on tests for liver function, and doctors don't always think to order specific blood work to test for it, Lee said.
By the time patients notice the yellow eyes and swollen bellies associated with cirrhosis, or the vague upper abdominal pain that may indicate liver cancer, their problems are at an advanced stage. Treatment of liver disease is complicated and risky; transplants are hard to come by.
"We feel that in the Chinese community, knowledge is spreading," said Lucy Young, Herald's cancer projects director. "We receive quite a few phone calls about when we will do blood tests again, vaccinate again."
The programs are on hiatus while funding is sought. Three shots costing as much as $60 each are required for vaccination. The association also works with community groups in San Diego and Orange counties.
"We still have a lot of work to do, not only in San Gabriel Valley," Young said. "Those carriers, most of them are in the underserved population. Either they don't have insurance coverage or they don't know where to go for follow-up."
The hepatitis B vaccine was introduced in the early 1980s. Since the early '90s, it has been administered to most infants born in the United States. In California, vaccination is required for entry to kindergarten and the seventh grade, said Laurene Mascola, who heads Los Angeles County's Acute Communicable Disease Control Program.
The county's hepatitis B efforts center on vaccinating infants and tracking pregnant women who have HBV, and high-risk behavior groups such as jail populations and gay men.
Nonetheless, some health care professionals are eagerly awaiting the outcome of a bill currently making its way through the state Assembly.
"This is something near and dear to my heart," said the bill's author, Assemblywoman Fiona Ma, D-San Francisco. She contracted the virus from her mother.
Without screening and management, one in four with the virus will die from liver cancer or cirrhosis, according to the Asian Liver Center.
San Francisco launched a campaign in April to test and vaccinate all its Asian residents for hepatitis B, a combined effort by the city government, private healthcare and community organizations.
AB 158 was passed in the Assembly Health Committee in April, the first of several hurdles it must clear before it can land on the governor's desk in the fall.
"It is a public health concern; it deserves funds from legislative avenues," said Jeff Goad, an associate professor of clinical pharmacy at USC and a member of a hepatitis B taskforce. "There is not a lot of action to fund treatment and management. The government ... allows the private system to handle treatment, but that doesn't always happen."
One of the organizations that stands to benefit from the bill is St. Vincent Medical Center in Los Angeles. The hospital is opening a center in July that will deal specifically with hepatitis in Asians and could receive some of the $4 million the bill proposes.
"I don't think there is a recognition even among physicians of the magnitude of the problem among Asians," said Tse-Ling Fong, a liver specialist who will direct the Asian Pacific Liver Center.
Fong said the center will target Asians 18 and older, particularly those born overseas. In keeping with the hospital's charitable care policy, the center will accept both insured and uninsured patients.
"My hope is that three or four generations from now, hepatitis B will be something like smallpox that we no longer talk about," Fong said.
San Gabriel Valley Tribue: "Asians losing race with hepatitis"
By Patricia Jiayi Ho Staff Writer
As an Asian-American politician, Chi Mui was part of an elite new group of leaders. He became San Gabriel's first Asian mayor in March 2006.
As an Asian, Mui belonged to a larger, more disturbing health care demographic. He died of liver cancer after about a month in the position, at 53.
Mui had hepatitis B, a disease that can be prevented and that is dubbed a "silent killer" that affects a disproportionate number of Asians. The virus puts them at greater risk of developing liver cancer and cirrhosis.
The HBV-related death rate among Asian Americans is seven times greater than the rate among American whites, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Race-specific attention to the virus consists so far of patchwork efforts by nonprofits, some of which piece together funding sources for workshops, screening fairs and vaccinations.
Health care workers say a more comprehensive approach is needed.
"Hepatitis B and liver cancer is the greatest health care disparity," said the center's director, Dr. Sammy So. "Almost every Asian knows of someone who died from liver cancer."
Chronic hepatitis B infection affects 0.3 percent of the U.S. population, but Asians make up more than half, or roughly 700,000, of the known hepatitis B carriers, according to the Asian Liver Center at Stanford University. Most contract the virus overseas, and many are unaware they have it.
Of the HBV-positive women who gave birth in Los Angeles County in 2005, 81 percent were Asian, according to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. Nearly 50 percent were from the San Gabriel Valley.
While the virus can be spread through unprotected sex and shared needles, experts say most Asians become infected through their mothers during birth or in childhood.
A vaccine can actually knock down the disease after it is contracted if administered at young enough an age.
The Herald Cancer Association in San Gabriel relies on funding from foundations, medical centers and drug companies to sponsor outreach programs, which are held in Mandarin and English.
"Without the help of the government, we're just a nonprofit at the mercy of pharmaceuticals, whether they will give us the grant or not," said Rev. David Lee, director of the Christian-based association.
At a screening event in October, more than one out of 10 participants tested positive for the virus.
Follow-up is crucial for carriers, said Lee, who was diagnosed as a carrier in his late teens.
To compare Chi Mui and Lee, the difference early detection makes is life or death.
Like Mui, Lee, 47, said he realized he was infected when he first tried to donate blood as a young man. Based on the science back then, he was told not to worry about it. But Lee had half his liver removed at 34, after doctors discovered a tumor.
Mui was less fortunate. He was caught up with campaigning for City Council, said Mui's widow, Betty Mui. After two years without tests, doctors found an 8cm liver tumor. The cancer later spread to his pelvic bone.
"It developed so fast," said Betty Mui, who is now a key volunteer at Herald Cancer Association. She also contracted the virus at a young age and gets regular blood tests and ultrasound screenings. "People have to be very careful about it."
Hepatitis B can go undiagnosed. Carriers usually have no symptoms and appear healthy. It may not show up on tests for liver function, and doctors don't always think to order specific blood work to test for it, Lee said.
By the time patients notice the yellow eyes and swollen bellies associated with cirrhosis, or the vague upper abdominal pain that may indicate liver cancer, their problems are at an advanced stage. Treatment of liver disease is complicated and risky; transplants are hard to come by.
"We feel that in the Chinese community, knowledge is spreading," said Lucy Young, Herald's cancer projects director. "We receive quite a few phone calls about when we will do blood tests again, vaccinate again."
The programs are on hiatus while funding is sought. Three shots costing as much as $60 each are required for vaccination. The association also works with a hodgepodge of community groups in San Diego and Orange counties.
"We still have a lot of work to do, not only in San Gabriel Valley," Young said. "Those carriers, most of them are in the underserved population. Either they don't have insurance coverage or they don't know where to go for follow-up."
The hepatitis B vaccine was introduced in the early 1980s. Since the early '90s, it has been administered to most infants born in the United States. In California, vaccination is required for entry to kindergarten and the seventh grade, said Laurene Mascola, who heads Los Angeles County's Acute Communicable Disease Control Program.
The county's hepatitis B efforts center on vaccinating infants and tracking pregnant women who have HBV, and high-risk behavior groups such as jail populations and gay men.
"Eventually we'll burn out the disease as more and more people are vaccinated," Mascola said.
Nonetheless, some health care professionals are eagerly awaiting the outcome of a bill currently making its way through the state Assembly.
"This is something near and dear to my heart," said the bill's author, Assemblywoman Fiona Ma, D-San Francisco. She contracted the virus from her mother.
Without screening and management, one in four with the virus will die from liver cancer or cirrhosis, according to the Asian Liver Center.
San Francisco launched a campaign in April to test and vaccinate all its Asian residents for hepatitis B, a combined effort by the city government, private healthcare and community organizations.
AB 158 was passed in the Assembly Health Committee in April, the first of several hurdles it must clear before it can land on the governor's desk in the fall.
"It is a public health concern; it deserves funds from legislative avenues," said Jeff Goad, an associate professor of clinical pharmacy at USC and a member of a hepatitis B taskforce. "There is not a lot of action to fund treatment and management. The government ... allows the private system to handle treatment, but that doesn't always happen."
One of the organizations that stands to benefit from the bill is St. Vincent Medical Center in Los Angeles. The hospital is opening a center in July that will deal specifically with hepatitis in Asians and could receive some of the $4 million the bill proposes.
"I don't think there is a recognition even among physicians of the magnitude of the problem among Asians," said Tse-Ling Fong, a liver specialist who will direct the Asian Pacific Liver Center.
Fong said the center will target Asians 18 and older, particularly those born overseas. In keeping with the hospital's charitable care policy, the center will accept both insured and uninsured patients.
"My hope is that three or four generations from now, hepatitis B will be something like smallpox that we no longer talk about," Fong said.
As an Asian-American politician, Chi Mui was part of an elite new group of leaders. He became San Gabriel's first Asian mayor in March 2006.
As an Asian, Mui belonged to a larger, more disturbing health care demographic. He died of liver cancer after about a month in the position, at 53.
Mui had hepatitis B, a disease that can be prevented and that is dubbed a "silent killer" that affects a disproportionate number of Asians. The virus puts them at greater risk of developing liver cancer and cirrhosis.
The HBV-related death rate among Asian Americans is seven times greater than the rate among American whites, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Race-specific attention to the virus consists so far of patchwork efforts by nonprofits, some of which piece together funding sources for workshops, screening fairs and vaccinations.
Health care workers say a more comprehensive approach is needed.
"Hepatitis B and liver cancer is the greatest health care disparity," said the center's director, Dr. Sammy So. "Almost every Asian knows of someone who died from liver cancer."
Chronic hepatitis B infection affects 0.3 percent of the U.S. population, but Asians make up more than half, or roughly 700,000, of the known hepatitis B carriers, according to the Asian Liver Center at Stanford University. Most contract the virus overseas, and many are unaware they have it.
Of the HBV-positive women who gave birth in Los Angeles County in 2005, 81 percent were Asian, according to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. Nearly 50 percent were from the San Gabriel Valley.
While the virus can be spread through unprotected sex and shared needles, experts say most Asians become infected through their mothers during birth or in childhood.
A vaccine can actually knock down the disease after it is contracted if administered at young enough an age.
The Herald Cancer Association in San Gabriel relies on funding from foundations, medical centers and drug companies to sponsor outreach programs, which are held in Mandarin and English.
"Without the help of the government, we're just a nonprofit at the mercy of pharmaceuticals, whether they will give us the grant or not," said Rev. David Lee, director of the Christian-based association.
At a screening event in October, more than one out of 10 participants tested positive for the virus.
Follow-up is crucial for carriers, said Lee, who was diagnosed as a carrier in his late teens.
To compare Chi Mui and Lee, the difference early detection makes is life or death.
Like Mui, Lee, 47, said he realized he was infected when he first tried to donate blood as a young man. Based on the science back then, he was told not to worry about it. But Lee had half his liver removed at 34, after doctors discovered a tumor.
Mui was less fortunate. He was caught up with campaigning for City Council, said Mui's widow, Betty Mui. After two years without tests, doctors found an 8cm liver tumor. The cancer later spread to his pelvic bone.
"It developed so fast," said Betty Mui, who is now a key volunteer at Herald Cancer Association. She also contracted the virus at a young age and gets regular blood tests and ultrasound screenings. "People have to be very careful about it."
Hepatitis B can go undiagnosed. Carriers usually have no symptoms and appear healthy. It may not show up on tests for liver function, and doctors don't always think to order specific blood work to test for it, Lee said.
By the time patients notice the yellow eyes and swollen bellies associated with cirrhosis, or the vague upper abdominal pain that may indicate liver cancer, their problems are at an advanced stage. Treatment of liver disease is complicated and risky; transplants are hard to come by.
"We feel that in the Chinese community, knowledge is spreading," said Lucy Young, Herald's cancer projects director. "We receive quite a few phone calls about when we will do blood tests again, vaccinate again."
The programs are on hiatus while funding is sought. Three shots costing as much as $60 each are required for vaccination. The association also works with a hodgepodge of community groups in San Diego and Orange counties.
"We still have a lot of work to do, not only in San Gabriel Valley," Young said. "Those carriers, most of them are in the underserved population. Either they don't have insurance coverage or they don't know where to go for follow-up."
The hepatitis B vaccine was introduced in the early 1980s. Since the early '90s, it has been administered to most infants born in the United States. In California, vaccination is required for entry to kindergarten and the seventh grade, said Laurene Mascola, who heads Los Angeles County's Acute Communicable Disease Control Program.
The county's hepatitis B efforts center on vaccinating infants and tracking pregnant women who have HBV, and high-risk behavior groups such as jail populations and gay men.
"Eventually we'll burn out the disease as more and more people are vaccinated," Mascola said.
Nonetheless, some health care professionals are eagerly awaiting the outcome of a bill currently making its way through the state Assembly.
"This is something near and dear to my heart," said the bill's author, Assemblywoman Fiona Ma, D-San Francisco. She contracted the virus from her mother.
Without screening and management, one in four with the virus will die from liver cancer or cirrhosis, according to the Asian Liver Center.
San Francisco launched a campaign in April to test and vaccinate all its Asian residents for hepatitis B, a combined effort by the city government, private healthcare and community organizations.
AB 158 was passed in the Assembly Health Committee in April, the first of several hurdles it must clear before it can land on the governor's desk in the fall.
"It is a public health concern; it deserves funds from legislative avenues," said Jeff Goad, an associate professor of clinical pharmacy at USC and a member of a hepatitis B taskforce. "There is not a lot of action to fund treatment and management. The government ... allows the private system to handle treatment, but that doesn't always happen."
One of the organizations that stands to benefit from the bill is St. Vincent Medical Center in Los Angeles. The hospital is opening a center in July that will deal specifically with hepatitis in Asians and could receive some of the $4 million the bill proposes.
"I don't think there is a recognition even among physicians of the magnitude of the problem among Asians," said Tse-Ling Fong, a liver specialist who will direct the Asian Pacific Liver Center.
Fong said the center will target Asians 18 and older, particularly those born overseas. In keeping with the hospital's charitable care policy, the center will accept both insured and uninsured patients.
"My hope is that three or four generations from now, hepatitis B will be something like smallpox that we no longer talk about," Fong said.
Tuesday, May 1, 2007
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
EndoNurse: "San Francisco Launches Hepatitis Campaign for Asian and Pacific Islanders"
SAN FRANCISCO -- Mayor Gavin Newsom, Assemblywoman Fiona Ma and Supervisor Ed Jew will lead representatives from over 50 healthcare and Asian Pacific Islander (API) organizations to launch the first San Francisco Hep B Free Campaign on Wednesday, April 25, 2007, at New Asia Restaurant, at 772 Pacific Ave, San Francisco, Calif.
This major collaborative effort brings together city government, private healthcare and non-profit community organizations in a two-year campaign to screen, vaccinate, and treat all API residents for hepatitis B virus (HBV).
The San Francisco (SF) Hep B Free campaign will put San Francisco at the forefront of America in fighting chronic hepatitis. This campaign is also the largest healthcare campaign to target Asian and Pacific Islanders in the U.S.
San Francisco's API residents comprise 34 percent of the city's population and bear a disproportionate burden of liver cancer and undetected HBV infection. Hepatitis B is a serious disease responsible for 80 percent of all liver cancers among APIs. San Francisco has the highest liver cancer rate in the nation. It is estimated that one in 10 people in the API community have an undiagnosed infection. APIs are up to 100 times more likely to suffer from chronic HBV infection and four times more likely to die from liver cancer compared with the general population.
"Hepatitis B virus is a highly infectious disease that is affecting the health of our vibrant Asian and Pacific Islander community," said Mayor Gavin Newsom. "Fortunately, a vaccine exists that is safe and effective. San Francisco is committed to preventing the spread of this virus. Please join our efforts in making San Francisco a hepatitis B free city."
In November 2006, Mayor Newsom signed a resolution authored by then Supervisor Fiona Ma establishing the goal of universal HBV screening and vaccination for API residents. The SF Hep B Free Steering Committee was also formed, comprised of the San Francisco department of Public Health, Asian Liver Center at Stanford University, and AsianWeek Foundation. Assemblywoman Ma serves as honorary chairperson. "I am proud to help lead this campaign because it focuses on prevention and awareness," said Assemblywoman Ma, an HBV carrier herself. "These are key factors for preventing the spread of hepatitis B in the Asian and Pacific Islander community."
"This is a big problem for Asians and Asian Americans," said Samuel So, director of the Asian Liver Center at Stanford University. "Most Asian Americans are recent immigrants and their doctors have never tested them.
The SF Hep B Free campaign will spread its message of B Sure, B Tested, B Free with media outreach including Asian television, print, and radio as well as mainstream media outlets. Members of the SF Hospital Council and the SF Community Clinic Coalition, the Asian Liver Center, API Wellness Center and others will provide accessible and free or low-cost screenings and vaccinations via physician offices, health clinics, and street fairs.
Source: Asian Liver Center at Stanford University
This major collaborative effort brings together city government, private healthcare and non-profit community organizations in a two-year campaign to screen, vaccinate, and treat all API residents for hepatitis B virus (HBV).
The San Francisco (SF) Hep B Free campaign will put San Francisco at the forefront of America in fighting chronic hepatitis. This campaign is also the largest healthcare campaign to target Asian and Pacific Islanders in the U.S.
San Francisco's API residents comprise 34 percent of the city's population and bear a disproportionate burden of liver cancer and undetected HBV infection. Hepatitis B is a serious disease responsible for 80 percent of all liver cancers among APIs. San Francisco has the highest liver cancer rate in the nation. It is estimated that one in 10 people in the API community have an undiagnosed infection. APIs are up to 100 times more likely to suffer from chronic HBV infection and four times more likely to die from liver cancer compared with the general population.
"Hepatitis B virus is a highly infectious disease that is affecting the health of our vibrant Asian and Pacific Islander community," said Mayor Gavin Newsom. "Fortunately, a vaccine exists that is safe and effective. San Francisco is committed to preventing the spread of this virus. Please join our efforts in making San Francisco a hepatitis B free city."
In November 2006, Mayor Newsom signed a resolution authored by then Supervisor Fiona Ma establishing the goal of universal HBV screening and vaccination for API residents. The SF Hep B Free Steering Committee was also formed, comprised of the San Francisco department of Public Health, Asian Liver Center at Stanford University, and AsianWeek Foundation. Assemblywoman Ma serves as honorary chairperson. "I am proud to help lead this campaign because it focuses on prevention and awareness," said Assemblywoman Ma, an HBV carrier herself. "These are key factors for preventing the spread of hepatitis B in the Asian and Pacific Islander community."
"This is a big problem for Asians and Asian Americans," said Samuel So, director of the Asian Liver Center at Stanford University. "Most Asian Americans are recent immigrants and their doctors have never tested them.
The SF Hep B Free campaign will spread its message of B Sure, B Tested, B Free with media outreach including Asian television, print, and radio as well as mainstream media outlets. Members of the SF Hospital Council and the SF Community Clinic Coalition, the Asian Liver Center, API Wellness Center and others will provide accessible and free or low-cost screenings and vaccinations via physician offices, health clinics, and street fairs.
Source: Asian Liver Center at Stanford University
Monday, April 23, 2007
PRNewswire-USNewswire: "Largest Healthcare Campaign for Asian and Pacific Islanders in the U.S."
San Francisco Hep B Free - B Sure, B Tested, B Free
First City in the U.S. to Test & Vaccinate All Asian and Pacific Islanders for Hepatitis B
Mayor Gavin Newsom, Assemblywoman Fiona Ma and Supervisor Ed Jew will lead representatives from over 50 healthcare and Asian Pacific Islander (API) organizations to launch the first San Francisco Hep B Free Campaign on Wednesday,
April 25th at New Asia Restaurant at 772 Pacific Ave, San Francisco, CA.
This major collaborative effort brings together city government, private healthcare and non-profit community organizations in a 2-year-long campaign to screen, vaccinate, and treat all API residents for hepatitis B (HBV).
The SF Hep B Free campaign will put San Francisco at the forefront of America in fighting chronic hepatitis. This campaign is also the largest healthcare campaign to target Asian and Pacific Islanders in the U.S.
San Francisco's API residents comprise 34% of the city's population and bear a disproportionate burden of liver cancer and undetected HBV infection. Hepatitis B is a serious disease responsible for 80% of all liver cancers among APIs. San Francisco has the highest liver cancer rate in the nation. It is estimated that 1 in 10 people in the API community have an undiagnosed infection. APIs are up to 100 times more likely to suffer from chronic HBV infection and 4 times more likely to die from liver cancer compared with the general population.
"Hepatitis B virus is a highly infectious disease that is affecting the health of our vibrant Asian and Pacific Islander community," said Mayor Gavin Newsom. "Fortunately, a vaccine exists that is safe and effective. San Francisco is committed to preventing the spread of this virus. Please join our efforts in making San Francisco a hepatitis B free city."
In November 2006, Mayor Newsom signed a resolution authored by then Supervisor Fiona Ma establishing the goal of universal HBV screening and vaccination for API residents. The SF Hep B Free Steering Committee was also formed, comprised of the San Francisco Department of Public Health, Asian Liver Center at Stanford University, and AsianWeek Foundation. Assemblywoman Ma serves as honorary chairperson. "I am proud to help lead this campaign because it focuses on prevention and awareness," said Assemblywoman Ma, an HBV carrier herself. "These are key factors for preventing the spread of hepatitis B in the Asian and Pacific Islander community."
"This is a big problem for Asians and Asian Americans," said Dr. Samuel So, Director of the Asian Liver Center at Stanford University. "Most Asian Americans are recent immigrants and their doctors have never tested them.
The SF Hep B Free campaign will spread its message of B Sure, B Tested, B Free with media outreach including Asian television, print, and radio as well as mainstream media outlets. Members of the SF Hospital Council and the SF Community Clinic Coalition, the Asian Liver Center, API Wellness Center and others will provide accessible and free or low-cost screenings and vaccinations via physician offices, health clinics, and street fairs.
First City in the U.S. to Test & Vaccinate All Asian and Pacific Islanders for Hepatitis B
Mayor Gavin Newsom, Assemblywoman Fiona Ma and Supervisor Ed Jew will lead representatives from over 50 healthcare and Asian Pacific Islander (API) organizations to launch the first San Francisco Hep B Free Campaign on Wednesday,
April 25th at New Asia Restaurant at 772 Pacific Ave, San Francisco, CA.
This major collaborative effort brings together city government, private healthcare and non-profit community organizations in a 2-year-long campaign to screen, vaccinate, and treat all API residents for hepatitis B (HBV).
The SF Hep B Free campaign will put San Francisco at the forefront of America in fighting chronic hepatitis. This campaign is also the largest healthcare campaign to target Asian and Pacific Islanders in the U.S.
San Francisco's API residents comprise 34% of the city's population and bear a disproportionate burden of liver cancer and undetected HBV infection. Hepatitis B is a serious disease responsible for 80% of all liver cancers among APIs. San Francisco has the highest liver cancer rate in the nation. It is estimated that 1 in 10 people in the API community have an undiagnosed infection. APIs are up to 100 times more likely to suffer from chronic HBV infection and 4 times more likely to die from liver cancer compared with the general population.
"Hepatitis B virus is a highly infectious disease that is affecting the health of our vibrant Asian and Pacific Islander community," said Mayor Gavin Newsom. "Fortunately, a vaccine exists that is safe and effective. San Francisco is committed to preventing the spread of this virus. Please join our efforts in making San Francisco a hepatitis B free city."
In November 2006, Mayor Newsom signed a resolution authored by then Supervisor Fiona Ma establishing the goal of universal HBV screening and vaccination for API residents. The SF Hep B Free Steering Committee was also formed, comprised of the San Francisco Department of Public Health, Asian Liver Center at Stanford University, and AsianWeek Foundation. Assemblywoman Ma serves as honorary chairperson. "I am proud to help lead this campaign because it focuses on prevention and awareness," said Assemblywoman Ma, an HBV carrier herself. "These are key factors for preventing the spread of hepatitis B in the Asian and Pacific Islander community."
"This is a big problem for Asians and Asian Americans," said Dr. Samuel So, Director of the Asian Liver Center at Stanford University. "Most Asian Americans are recent immigrants and their doctors have never tested them.
The SF Hep B Free campaign will spread its message of B Sure, B Tested, B Free with media outreach including Asian television, print, and radio as well as mainstream media outlets. Members of the SF Hospital Council and the SF Community Clinic Coalition, the Asian Liver Center, API Wellness Center and others will provide accessible and free or low-cost screenings and vaccinations via physician offices, health clinics, and street fairs.
PRNewswire-USNewswire: "Largest Healthcare Campaign for Asian and Pacific Islanders in the U.S."
San Francisco Hep B Free - B Sure, B Tested, B Free
SAN FRANCISCO, April 23, 2007 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Mayor Gavin Newsom, Assemblywoman Fiona Ma and Supervisor Ed Jew will lead representatives from over 50 healthcare and Asian Pacific Islander (API) organizations to launch the first San Francisco Hep B Free Campaign on Wednesday, April 25th at New Asia Restaurant at 772 Pacific Ave, San Francisco, CA.
This major collaborative effort brings together city government, private healthcare and non-profit community organizations in a 2-year-long campaign to screen, vaccinate, and treat all API residents for hepatitis B (HBV).
The SF Hep B Free campaign will put San Francisco at the forefront of America in fighting chronic hepatitis. This campaign is also the largest healthcare campaign to target Asian and Pacific Islanders in the U.S.
San Francisco's API residents comprise 34% of the city's population and bear a disproportionate burden of liver cancer and undetected HBV infection. Hepatitis B is a serious disease responsible for 80% of all liver cancers among APIs. San Francisco has the highest liver cancer rate in the nation. It is estimated that 1 in 10 people in the API community have an undiagnosed infection. APIs are up to 100 times more likely to suffer from chronic HBV infection and 4 times more likely to die from liver cancer compared with the general population.
"Hepatitis B virus is a highly infectious disease that is affecting the health of our vibrant Asian and Pacific Islander community," said Mayor Gavin Newsom. "Fortunately, a vaccine exists that is safe and effective. San Francisco is committed to preventing the spread of this virus. Please join our efforts in making San Francisco a hepatitis B free city."
In November 2006, Mayor Newsom signed a resolution authored by then Supervisor Fiona Ma establishing the goal of universal HBV screening and vaccination for API residents. The SF Hep B Free Steering Committee was also formed, comprised of the San Francisco Department of Public Health, Asian Liver Center at Stanford University, and AsianWeek Foundation. Assemblywoman Ma serves as honorary chairperson. "I am proud to help lead this campaign because it focuses on prevention and awareness," said Assemblywoman Ma, an HBV carrier herself. "These are key factors for preventing the spread of hepatitis B in the Asian and Pacific Islander community."
"This is a big problem for Asians and Asian Americans," said Dr. Samuel So, Director of the Asian Liver Center at Stanford University. "Most Asian Americans are recent immigrants and their doctors have never tested them.
The SF Hep B Free campaign will spread its message of B Sure, B Tested, B Free with media outreach including Asian television, print, and radio as well as mainstream media outlets. Members of the SF Hospital Council and the SF Community Clinic Coalition, the Asian Liver Center, API Wellness Center and others will provide accessible and free or low-cost screenings and vaccinations via physician offices, health clinics, and street fairs.
Friday, November 17, 2006
Friday, May 5, 2006
Niwa Public Relations: "San Francisco's Asian Health Organizations Unite To Promote Awareness of Hepatitis B for Bay Area's Asian Pacific Islander American Community During National Hepatitis B Awareness Month"
For more information, contact:
Grace Niwa, Niwa Public Relations
(508) 238-6547
grace@niwapr.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Photos available upon request
SAN FRANCISCO’S ASIAN HEALTH ORGANIZATIONS UNITE
TO PROMOTE AWARENESS OF HEPATITIS B FOR
BAY AREA’S ASIAN PACIFIC ISLANDER AMERICAN COMMUNITY
DURING NATIONAL HEPATITIS B AWARENESS MONTH
Free Hepatitis B Screenings will be provided by the Asian Liver Center
at Stanford University at the Asian Heritage Street Celebration on
Saturday, May 20th, 2006
2151 Irving Street, Suite 205 from 11 am to 4pm
Sunset District of San Francisco, CA
San Francisco, CA (May 5, 2006) –San Francisco’s Asian Health organizations came together to promote awareness of the prevalence of hepatitis B and the need for testing in San Francisco’s Asian Pacific Islander American (APIA) community during National Hepatitis B Awareness Month and Asian Pacific Heritage Month in May. Assemblymember Mark Leno; Fiona Ma, San Francisco Board of Supervisors; Dr. Mitch Katz, Director of Health, City and County of San Francisco; Dr. Ho Luong Tran, President and CEO, Asian Pacific Islander American Health Forum; Dr. Samuel So, Director, Asian Liver Center at Stanford University and James Fang, Co-Chair, Asian Heritage Street Celebration supported the effort at a press conference at City Hall today. Fiona Ma presented a Proclamation to Dr. Samuel So on behalf of Mayor Gavin Newsom to declare the week of May 14-20 as “Hepatitis B Awareness Week in San Francisco.”
The Asian Liver Center at Stanford University announced they would provide free hepatitis B screenings for San Francisco’s APIA community during the Asian Heritage Street Celebration on Saturday, May 20th at 2151 Irving Street, Suite 205 from 11 am to 4pm located in the Sunset District of San Francisco. Partners in this united effort include San Francisco’s Department of Public Health, the Chinese Hospital, the API Wellness Center, the Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organizations and the APIA Health Forum.
Hepatitis B is the most common serious liver infection in the world caused by the hepatitis B virus that attacks the liver and can cause liver cancer. It is more common among APIA’s than other racial or ethnic groups in the U.S. According to the Asian Liver Center at Stanford University, an estimated 1 in 10 foreign born APIAs is chronically infected with hepatitis B, compared to 1 in 1000 Caucasian Americans. Many are not aware they have been infected, since there are usually no symptoms. Without appropriate monitoring or treatment, 1 in 4 of these chronically infected individuals will die from liver cancer or liver failure. Liver cancer, largely caused by hepatitis B, is the second leading cause of cancer death for APIA men living in the U.S.
“San Francisco is one of the major U.S. cities where chronic hepatitis B is a serious health problem due to our large Asian Pacific Islander American population,” said Mayor Gavin Newsom. “The free hepatitis B screenings that the Asian Liver Center will be conducting at this year’s Asian Heritage Street Celebration are a great way to educate and raise awareness about this major health threat to our community.”
“There are an estimated 25,000 APIAs living in the city of San Francisco with chronic hepatitis B, and an additional 100,000 who are unprotected,” said Dr. Samuel So, Director, Asian Liver Center at Stanford University. “There’s a real need for increased hepatitis B testing and vaccination in the APIA community. More than half of the deaths from hepatitis B are from our community, yet the seriousness of this disease is underappreciated, underdiagnosed, and undertreated. We are grateful for the support of our community partners for promoting awareness and prevention of this silent epidemic.”
“We are very pleased to see San Francisco’s Asian Health organizations unite for this important cause,” said James Fang, Co-Chair, Asian Heritage Street Celebration. “We are encouraging all Asian Americans and their family members to get screened at this year’s festival.”
About The Asian Liver Center at Stanford University
The Asian Liver Center at Stanford University is the only non-profit organization in the United States that addresses the high incidence of hepatitis B and liver cancer in Asians andAsian Americans. Founded in 1996, the ALC has grown to become a national and international leader in fighting this global epidemic through outreach, education, and research. For more information, visit http://liver.stanford.edu.
About the Asian Heritage Street Celebration
The Asian Heritage Street Celebration is organized by the AsianWeek Foundation, in cooperation with the Mayor’s APA Heritage Committee and over 51 organizations in the Asian American community. The AsianWeek Foundation is a non-profit 501(c) 3 committed to developing the Voices of Asian America. All proceeds from the Celebration will be donated to local and national charities. For more information, visit www.asianfairsf.com.
Grace Niwa, Niwa Public Relations
(508) 238-6547
grace@niwapr.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Photos available upon request
SAN FRANCISCO’S ASIAN HEALTH ORGANIZATIONS UNITE
TO PROMOTE AWARENESS OF HEPATITIS B FOR
BAY AREA’S ASIAN PACIFIC ISLANDER AMERICAN COMMUNITY
DURING NATIONAL HEPATITIS B AWARENESS MONTH
Free Hepatitis B Screenings will be provided by the Asian Liver Center
at Stanford University at the Asian Heritage Street Celebration on
Saturday, May 20th, 2006
2151 Irving Street, Suite 205 from 11 am to 4pm
Sunset District of San Francisco, CA
San Francisco, CA (May 5, 2006) –San Francisco’s Asian Health organizations came together to promote awareness of the prevalence of hepatitis B and the need for testing in San Francisco’s Asian Pacific Islander American (APIA) community during National Hepatitis B Awareness Month and Asian Pacific Heritage Month in May. Assemblymember Mark Leno; Fiona Ma, San Francisco Board of Supervisors; Dr. Mitch Katz, Director of Health, City and County of San Francisco; Dr. Ho Luong Tran, President and CEO, Asian Pacific Islander American Health Forum; Dr. Samuel So, Director, Asian Liver Center at Stanford University and James Fang, Co-Chair, Asian Heritage Street Celebration supported the effort at a press conference at City Hall today. Fiona Ma presented a Proclamation to Dr. Samuel So on behalf of Mayor Gavin Newsom to declare the week of May 14-20 as “Hepatitis B Awareness Week in San Francisco.”
The Asian Liver Center at Stanford University announced they would provide free hepatitis B screenings for San Francisco’s APIA community during the Asian Heritage Street Celebration on Saturday, May 20th at 2151 Irving Street, Suite 205 from 11 am to 4pm located in the Sunset District of San Francisco. Partners in this united effort include San Francisco’s Department of Public Health, the Chinese Hospital, the API Wellness Center, the Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organizations and the APIA Health Forum.
Hepatitis B is the most common serious liver infection in the world caused by the hepatitis B virus that attacks the liver and can cause liver cancer. It is more common among APIA’s than other racial or ethnic groups in the U.S. According to the Asian Liver Center at Stanford University, an estimated 1 in 10 foreign born APIAs is chronically infected with hepatitis B, compared to 1 in 1000 Caucasian Americans. Many are not aware they have been infected, since there are usually no symptoms. Without appropriate monitoring or treatment, 1 in 4 of these chronically infected individuals will die from liver cancer or liver failure. Liver cancer, largely caused by hepatitis B, is the second leading cause of cancer death for APIA men living in the U.S.
“San Francisco is one of the major U.S. cities where chronic hepatitis B is a serious health problem due to our large Asian Pacific Islander American population,” said Mayor Gavin Newsom. “The free hepatitis B screenings that the Asian Liver Center will be conducting at this year’s Asian Heritage Street Celebration are a great way to educate and raise awareness about this major health threat to our community.”
“There are an estimated 25,000 APIAs living in the city of San Francisco with chronic hepatitis B, and an additional 100,000 who are unprotected,” said Dr. Samuel So, Director, Asian Liver Center at Stanford University. “There’s a real need for increased hepatitis B testing and vaccination in the APIA community. More than half of the deaths from hepatitis B are from our community, yet the seriousness of this disease is underappreciated, underdiagnosed, and undertreated. We are grateful for the support of our community partners for promoting awareness and prevention of this silent epidemic.”
“We are very pleased to see San Francisco’s Asian Health organizations unite for this important cause,” said James Fang, Co-Chair, Asian Heritage Street Celebration. “We are encouraging all Asian Americans and their family members to get screened at this year’s festival.”
About The Asian Liver Center at Stanford University
The Asian Liver Center at Stanford University is the only non-profit organization in the United States that addresses the high incidence of hepatitis B and liver cancer in Asians andAsian Americans. Founded in 1996, the ALC has grown to become a national and international leader in fighting this global epidemic through outreach, education, and research. For more information, visit http://liver.stanford.edu.
About the Asian Heritage Street Celebration
The Asian Heritage Street Celebration is organized by the AsianWeek Foundation, in cooperation with the Mayor’s APA Heritage Committee and over 51 organizations in the Asian American community. The AsianWeek Foundation is a non-profit 501(c) 3 committed to developing the Voices of Asian America. All proceeds from the Celebration will be donated to local and national charities. For more information, visit www.asianfairsf.com.
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