Leveraging Community Power to Mobilize Government Funding to Address a Silent Epidemic: The NYC Asian-American Hepatitis B Program

Chronic hepatitis B (HBV), which can lead to liver-related diseases and liver cancer, disproportionately affects the Asian American community, which has an eight- to ten-fold risk of developing chronic HBV compared to the general population. This presentation will describe the advocacy and mobilization efforts of a coalition of healthcare providers, professional and volunteer associations, media, and community-based organizations that worked with the City Council of New York to gain City-funding for a large-scale, three-year effort to address the HBV epidemic among NYC Asian Americans. Through intensive educational efforts with city council members representing districts with a high proportion of Asians, this multi-million dollar award has provided screening, vaccination, education, and treatment for HBV. To date, the NYC Asian American Hepatitis B Program screened more than 5500 individuals for HBV, vaccinated more than 1000 people at risk for infection, and medically evaluated more than 700 persons identified as having HBV. In concert with the New York City Council, the program is expanding its reach to recent, non-Asian immigrant populations that are also at higher risk for HBV: Latinos, Africans, Caribbeans, and Eastern European/Russians. The program also has leveraged its local policy successes to implement national policy, including the introduction of the first ever Federal bill to set aside specific funds for HBV testing and treatment in affected communities. This presentation highlights the challenges, lessons learned, and experiences of the coalition to work with elected officials to develop a comprehensive community-based health program for a minority community.