Utilizing limited resources and relying heavily on community in-kind support, the campaign has developed into a citywide collaborative that currently consists of more than 150 community supporters and 32 actively participating health-related organizations. With the help of these partners, the campaign was able to establish seven low- or no-cost public access testing and vaccination sites throughout San Francisco. The campaign also facilitated eight Continuing Medical Education events that reached 230 primary care providers and one community education workshop that targeted student leaders at the City College of San Francisco.
Assemblywoman Fiona Ma, the campaign's honorary chairwoman, authored hepatitis B legislation (AB 158) that recently moved to the Senate. At the beginning of the year, Mayor Gavin Newsom declared that San Francisco would be the model for hepatitis B prevention and treatment. Furthermore, S.F. Hep B Free partners have raised close to one million dollars through grants and other developments.
However, achieving the campaign’s overall goal of testing and vaccinating all Asian and Pacific Islanders for hepatitis B in San Francisco will require more centralized development and funding. Along with searching for these resources, the challenges for the S.F. Hep B Free Campaign in 2008 include generating large scale public awareness through multi-level media outlets, improving primary care clinician and grassroots knowledge through education, and improving access to care for uninsured persons with chronic hepatitis B.
If you are interested in participating in the S.F. Hep B Free Campaign or becoming a community partner, visit sfhepbfree.org or contact Thanh Huynh, administrative coordinator, at thuynh@awfoundation.com.