Santa Clara County Hep B Free

We are happy to announce that due to the resounding success of the San Francisco Hep B Free campaign we are utilizing the model and expanding the campaign to a new area: the Santa Clara County Hep B Free campaign! The Asian Liver Center has partnered with Asian Americans for Community Involvement (AACI) and the California Department of Public Health to bring this exciting program to the Asian and Pacific Islander community in Santa Clara County.

This program involves screenings and vaccinations on the first and third Saturday of every month from 10am to 1pm. These events will take place at AACI in San Jose (click here for directions). In addition to being screened or vaccinated, attendees will also have the chance to speak with health educators, receive free printed health materials in 6 languages and watch documentaries and interviews about hepatitis B worldwide.

The screenings are completely to free to all community members! We are providing hepatitis A, hepatitis B, and combination hep A/hep B vaccinations at greatly discounted rates! ($35 for Hep A, $50 for Hep B and $52 for Hep A/Hep B combination)

If you have any questions about this campaign or about hepatitis B or liver cancer, call the Asian Liver Center at 650.72.LIVER or toll-free at 1.888.311.3331.

To see the flyer for these events, go to this page.

SF Hep B Free

The San Francisco Hep B Free campaign, launched in April 2007, vows to make San Francisco “The first city to test and vaccinate all Asian and Pacific Islanders for hepatitis B.” This ambitious, two-year, city-wide project aims to meet its goal by providing free screenings and low-cost vaccination opportunities at conveniently located partnering health facilities. SF Hep B Free has already received national attention and is currently regarded by the California state legislature as a model for other states. Among the many people behind this campaign are San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom and California Assemblywoman Fiona Ma, as well as; the steering committee consisting of: Ted Fang of AsianWeek Foundation, Dr. Susan Fernyak of the San Francisco Department of Public Health, and Dr. Samuel So. With over 50 healthcare-related organizations and Asian/Pacific Islander community-based organizations partnered in this endeavor, we hope that SF Hep B Free will spearhead the movement against hepatitis B and liver cancer and motivate other metropolitan areas in the US to initiate similar campaigns.

Pacific Free Clinic

Located in the heart of Silicon Valley, Pacific Free Clinic is a Stanford-affiliated clinic dedicated to providing health care for underserved individuals and families. Throughout the year, the clinic is open on Saturdays from 10 am to 2 pm and offers hepatitis B screening, education, low-cost vaccinations, and treatment to patients in partnership with the Asian Liver Center and Stanford Hospitals and Clinics. “The young individuals who have started this novel initiative are pioneers in the fight against hepatitis B,” Dr. So comments. Stanford medical student Steven Lin, one of the clinic’s founders says, “PFC is the first clinic of its kind in the county; we are thrilled to be able to provide services to those without insurance and with low English proficiency.”

For more information, see the Pacific Free Clinic webpage or the Hep B Free at Pacific Free Clinic webpage.

Jade Ribbon Youth Council

Bursting with energy and enthusiasm, the Jade Ribbon Youth Council comprises highly motivated high school students who regularly design and execute local hepatitis B awareness events with guidance from the Asian Liver Center. Recently, these students reached out to nine city councils in the Bay Area to proclaim March 18-24, 2007, “Hepatitis B Awareness Week.” In an effort to convey the urgency of the fight against hepatitis B in a light-hearted yet effective manner, Daniel Kim, a Youth Council member, created the “End of the World: Hepatitis B Remix” video. Since the video was originally posted on the popular website YouTube, it has received an incredible 127,983 hits to date! (See it at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgSOLQMdUMQ)

Visit the Jade Ribbon Youth Council webpage for more information!

JRYC students attend the Youth Leadership Conference before applying for the Youth Council.

Team HBV

College campuses are hotbeds of free thinking and community activism. In short, they are a resource that the Asian Liver Center could not resist passing by! Team HBV is the college chapter of the Asian Liver Center. The mission of Team HBV is 1.) to implement community outreach to raise awareness of the disproportionately high incidence of hepatitis B and liver cancer in Asians and Pacific Islanders communities, 2.) to implement global outreach in promoting the international Jade Ribbon Campaign of the ALC including to educate about, to vaccinate against, and to test for HBV in the U.S. and abroad, and 3.) to implement political outreach to strengthen support for the National HBV Bills (H.R. 4550 and S. 3558) in Congress in order to address HBV epidemic with more comprehensive HBV research and educational outreach.

Team HBV chapters are now established at Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons, Cornell University, Duke University, Harvard College, UC Berkeley, and UC Davis. Berkeley's chapter, however, has a unique history as it operated as a student-facilitated class in the Program for Democratic Education at Cal (DeCal) known as the Jade Ribbon Campaign DeCal since Spring 2005 prior to becoming a Team HBV chapter.

While Team HBV chapters tailor their operations specific to their campus environments, Team HBV activities can be categorized in three areas: community outreach, global outreach, and political outreach. Some general community outreach projects Team HBV chapters spearhead every year include Another Life Documentary Screenings and community-wide outreach at college open house events, Asian Lunar New Year Festivals, Relay for Life, Oktoberfest, Asian Health Fair, ECAASU Conference, and Global Health Week. Some global outreach events include fun fundraiser events such as Mahjong and Bingo Night, Rock the Jade Charity Fashion Show, Benefit Party, Ultimate Game Night, and Karaoke Night to benefit the international Jade Ribbon Campaign. Political outreach activities include collecting letters of support for HBV Bills during all of our events. In addition to organizing events, Team HBV chapters also distribute HBV brochures to local hospitals, clinics, health departments, gyms, schools, churches, restaurants, supermarkets, and other non-profit organizations that work with Asian and Pacific Islanders.

We are looking for student leaders passionate about addressing issues of health disparity and promoting HBV awareness on college campus. If you are interested in starting a new chapter or have any questions about Team HBV, please visit the Team HBV webpage or email info@teamhbv.org.

National AAPI Health Summit

The health summit, hosted from September 14-16, 2006 by the Asian and Pacific Islander American Health Forum, brought together health consumers and researchers, public health and healthcare professionals, and policy makers to contribute to the national agenda for Asian American and Pacific Islander health for the next 20 years.

The Asian Liver Center helped to organize the hepatitis B track which, for the first time, was included as one of the major health issues facing Asian and Pacific Islanders today. The intent of the track was to increase awareness about the threat of chronic hepatitis B and liver cancer in the rapidly growing AAPI community, recent CDC initiatives, and the scientific basis for HBV treatment. It also identified and prioritized the goals and strategies for a national chronic HBV and liver cancer control plan. The theme: "Unite Against HBV."

3 For Life

In September of 2004, the Asian Liver Center launched its “3 for Life” program, which aimed to raise awareness and provide screening and vaccination services. This successful campaign marked a groundbreaking collaboration between the San Francisco Department of Public Health and the Stanford Asian Liver Center that provided low cost health services to the community. On the first and third Saturday of every month for one year, the ALC offered hepatitis A and B testing and vaccinations to members of the San Francisco community.

Over the course of 24 Saturdays and 72 clinic hours, we tested and vaccinated over 1,200 people. The “3 for Life” program succeeded through the untiring dedication of over 120 volunteers who committed their Saturdays to providing health services for those at risk for hepatitis B.

With the San Francisco Bay Area currently holding the record for the highest incidence of liver cancer in the country, the ALC made it its goal to spread information and provide proper screening and treatment for hepatitis B.

The goal of the “3 for Life” project was to raise awareness among Asian/Pacific Islander (API) adults about the importance of being tested, vaccinated if unprotected, and monitored if infected with chronic hepatitis B. In addition, the ALC aimed to increase awareness among health care providers of API adults, to improve the percentage of screening and vaccinations, and to gain information about the barriers that prevent the API population from getting screened and vaccinated.

The widespread community participation indicated that accessibility, convenience of location, and low vaccination costs are important factors in an effective outreach and vaccination campaign. The success of “3 for Life” in San Francisco raised the need for further programs throughout the country. In January 2006, both UCSF and the Chinese Christian Herald Community Center of Los Angeles adopted “3 for Life.” In September 2006, Hawaii launched “3 for Life” in the densely populated city of Honolulu. The ALC’s “3 for Life” campaign served as an important model for outreach, and we proudly continue to lead the development of programs and partnerships that fight hepatitis B around the world.

Last Updated: March 6, 2008