Mobilizing Government Funding to Address Chronic Hepatitis B in Immigrant Communities: A Case Study

Chronic hepatitis B (HBV), which can lead to liver-related diseases and liver cancer, disproportionately affects many immigrant communities in the United States. 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. Advocacy efforts were initiated by the Asian American community, which has an eight- to ten-fold risk of developing chronic HBV compared to the general population. Through intensive educational efforts with city council members representing districts with a high proportion of Asians, a multi-million dollar award was secured to provide screening, vaccination, education, and treatment for HBV. To date, we have screened more than 5500 individuals for HBV, vaccinated more than 1000 people, and medically evaluated more than 700 persons identified as having HBV. By securing additional funding from the New York City Council, this model program is currently 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 has also 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 minority communities.