Commission on the Status of Women
Resolution Endorsing the San Francisco Hepatitis B Free Campaign and California Assembly Bill 158 for Hepatitis Prevention
BE IT KNOWN That the Commission on the Status of Women of the City and County of
WHEREAS, In order to address the fact that San Francisco has the highest liver cancer rate in the nation, Mayor Gavin Newsom, Assemblywomen Fiona Ma, and Supervisor Ed Jew, together with over 50 healthcare and Asian Pacific Islander organizations, have launched a
2-year campaign to rid San Francisco of Hepatitis B by screening, vaccinating, and treating all cases of this highly infectious but preventable disease responsible for 80% of all liver cancer among Asians and Pacific Islanders; and,
WHEREAS, The San Francisco Department of Public Health, the Asian Liver Center at Stanford University, and the AsianWeek Foundation have joined forces to implement this campaign, the largest health campaign targeting Asian Pacific Islanders in the nation; and,
WHEREAS, Assemblywomen Fiona Ma, a carrier of the virus, has further introduced Assembly Bill 158 for Hepatitis Prevention to require the California Department of Public Health to establish pilot programs in Los Angeles and San Francisco to provide culturally competent public education on the prevention and management of Hepatitis B; and,
WHEREAS, May marks Asian Pacific Islander Heritage Month to celebrate the achievements of Asian and Pacific Islanders who constitute 34% of the population in San Francisco and are estimated to be infected by Hepatitis B at a rate of 1 in 10;
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED That the San Francisco Commission on the Status of Women endorses the San Francisco Hepatitis B Free Campaign and its goal to rid our city of this preventable disease and commends the work of the San Francisco Department of Public Health, the Asian Liver Center at Stanford University, and the Asian Week Foundation for their collaborative efforts on this vital issue.
Katherine Munter, President
Carolene Marks, Vice President
Andrea Evans Dorka Keehn Jing Xu Lee Andrea Shorter
San Francisco Commission on the Status of Women
May 23, 2007
