SF Hep B Free Delegation with Dr. John Ward and staff at Center for Disease Control and Prevention Headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia
SF
Hep B Free Meets with National Leaders in D.C. &
Atlanta
on
Efforts to End Hepatitis B Disease
Focus on targeting
hard-to-reach at-risk communities, using Health Information Technologies for
prevention, and collaborating with other cities nationwide
San Francisco, CA— A delegation from SF Hep B Free led by Honorary Chairperson
Fiona Ma and Chairperson Dr. Stuart Fong met with Congressional leaders, and
leaders from the U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services in Washington DC and the U.S. Centers for Disease control in Atlanta
The SF Hep B Free delegation advocated for
continued increases in commitment, support and collaboration for Hep B
prevention efforts.
“We are heartened by the national leadership
for ending viral hepatitis disease in America,” said Honorary Chairperson Fiona
Ma, “and we are excited to explore more ways for sharing the Hep B Free model
of mobilizing collective action for sustainable prevention efforts to end Hep B
disease.”
“We are building on the principles and tools
of the Affordable Care Act to reach underrepresented and underserved
communities, and are utilizing health information technologies to measure and
improve Hep B prevention practices,” added Dr. Stuart Fong, Chairperson of SF Hep
B Free.
In particular, the delegation focused on three
areas:
·
Implementing the CDC
grant program for early identification of hepatitis B (HBV) infection and
linkage to care with particular targeting of underrepresented and underserved
Asian sub populations at-risk, and enhanced data-collection for ethnicity and
post-test follow up activities
·
Utilizing health
information technologies (HIT) to implement HBV prevention measures. The U.S.
Office of Minority Health is supporting efforts in San Francisco with the
Chinese Hospital and Northeast Medical Services, and SF Hep B Free is
coordinating efforts with similar HIT implementation happening with Hep Free
Hawaii and Hawaii Pacific Health in Kauai
·
Increasing collaboration
among cities for National Hepatitis Testing Day. SF Hep B Free and the
AsianWeek Foundation are working with the National Viral Hepatitis Round Table
and CBS Local Media to coordinate efforts in San Francisco, Los Angeles and New
York City.
The delegation met with:
·
Congresswoman Nancy
Pelosi, House Minority Leader
·
U.S. Senator Mazie Hirono
·
Congresswoman Judy Chu,
Chair of Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus
·
Congressman Mike Honda,
Founder of Congressional Hepatitis Caucus
·
Congresswoman Jackie
Speier
·
Congressman Adam Schiff
·
Congresswoman Tammy
Duckworth
·
Dr. Ron Valdiserri,
Deputy Assistant Secretary of Health
·
Dr. J. Nadine Gracia,
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Minority Health
·
Dr. John Ward, Director of the Division
of Viral Hepatitis at
NCHHSTP, CDC
·
Audrey Buehring, Deputy
Director & Kate Moraras, Senior Advisor on Health, Office of White House
Initiatives on AAPI
Members of the delegation for SF Hep B Free
included:
·
Fiona Ma, Honorary Chair
of SF Hep B Free Governance Council and former Speaker pro Tempore-CA State
Assembly
·
Stuart Fong, Chair of SF
Hep B Free Governance Council and Director at Chinese Hospital
·
Ted Fang, Vice Chair of
SF Hep B Free Governance Council and Executive Director of AsianWeek Foundation
·
Ron Smith, member of SF
Hep B Free Governance Council and Senior Vice President, Hospital Council of
Northern and Central California
·
Genevieve Jopanda,
Executive Director for SF Hep B Free
L to R: Genevieve Jopanda, SF Hep B Free Executive Director, Stuart Fong, SF Hep B Free Governance Council Chair, Nancy Pelosi, House Minority Leader , Ted Fang, Co-Founder and SF Hep B Free Governance Council Vice Chair, Ron Smith, Governance Council Member and Senior Vice President of Hospital Council of Northern and Central California
L to R: Ted Fang, Co-Founder and SF Hep B Free Governance Council Vice Chair, Stuart Fong, SF Hep B Free Governance Council Chair, U.S. Senator Mazie Hirono (HI), Genevieve Jopanda, SF Hep B Free Executive Director, Ron Smith, Governance Council Member and Senior Vice President of Hospital Council of Northern and Central California
L to R: Ted Fang, Co-Founder and SF Hep B Free Governance Council Vice Chair, Stuart Fong, SF Hep B Free Governance Council Chair, Congresswoman Jackie Speier (CA), Genevieve Jopanda, SF Hep B Free Executive Director, Ron Smith, Governance Council Member and Senior Vice President of Hospital Council of Northern and Central California
L to R: Ron Smith, Governance Council Member and Senior Vice President of Hospital Council of Northern and Central California, Genevieve Jopanda, SF Hep B Free Executive Director, Dr. J. Nadine Gracia, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Minority Health for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Mayra Alvarez, Office of Minority Health, Nicole Dickelson, Office of Minority Health
About San Francisco Hep B Free:
San Francisco Hep B Free promotes collaboration
between government, healthcare groups, community organizations and businesses
to end viral hepatitis B disease. The campaign was launched in San Francisco
and serves as a model nationally for (1) creating public and healthcare
provider awareness about the importance of testing & vaccinating Asian and
Pacific Islanders for hepatitis B; (2) promoting routine hepatitis B screenings
and vaccinations within the primary care medical community; and (3)
facilitating access to treatment for chronically infected individuals. For more
info, please go to www.sfhepbfree.org
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