San Francisco Hep B Free is a citywide campaign to turn San Francisco into the first hepatitis B free city in the nation. This unprecedented 2-year-long campaign beginning April 2007 will screen, vaccinate, and treat all San Francisco Asian and Pacific Islander (API) residents of hepatitis B by providing convenient, free or low-cost testing opportunities at partnering health facilities and events.
API’s have the highest risk of hepatitis B of any ethnic group. San Francisco’s API residents comprise 34% of the city’s population and bear a disproportionate burden of liver cancer and undetected hepatitis B 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 one in ten people in the API community have an undiagnosed infection. APIs are up to 100 times more likely to suffer from chronic hepatitis B infection and four times more likely to die from liver cancer compared with the general population.
The San Francisco Hep B Free campaign puts San Francisco at the forefront of America in fighting chronic hepatitis. It will be the largest, most intensive healthcare campaign for Asian and Pacific Islanders in the U.S. This initiative has received national attention and is being looked to as a model by the California legislature. Mayor Gavin Newsom, Assemblywoman Fiona Ma and Supervisor Ed Jew are leading the effort with more than 50 healthcare and Asian Pacific Islander (API) organizations. The San Francisco Board of Supervisors and San Francisco Health Commission have passed unanimous resolutions supporting San Francisco Hep B Free.
Kaiser Permanente, San Francisco Medical Center was asked to present the first Hep B conferences. Gayle Akins, Kaiser Permanente CME department produced the accredited conferences on Hepatitis B for physicians, allied health professionals, community organizations and the public. The San Francisco Hep B Free Steering Committee is made up of the San Francisco Department of Public Health, Asian Liver Center at Stanford University, and AsianWeek Foundation. Assemblywoman Ma serves as Honorary Chairperson.