224244 Hepatitis B Community Engagement Project

Sunday, November 7, 2010

Michael B. McKee, MEd , Health Services Department, International Community Health Services, Seattle, WA
Kim Nguyen, MSW , Hepatitis B Coalition of Washington, WithinReach, Seattle, WA
Terry Chen, BS , AmeriCorps Patient Navigator, International Community Health Services, Seattle, WA
Edison Tsui, BS , AmeriCorps Patient Navigator, International Community Health Services, Seattle, WA
International Community Health Services, a nonprofit community health center located in Seattle/King County, Washington and the Hepatitis B Coalition of Washington State, implemented a community mobilization project developing grassroots support for chronic hepatitis B awareness and screening. This Hepatitis B Community Engagement Project may lead to a larger Seattle Hep B Free program based on the San Francisco Hep B Free model. It focuses on refugee and immigrant communities identified by CDC as high risk for chronic hepatitis B, including Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders, and East Africans. Additionally, through this work we aim to increase appropriate adult immunization and to remove the stigma surrounding hepatitis B among these populations, pregnant mothers who are positive, and those who are chronically infected and their family and household members. In the fall of 2009, 18 “Talking Circles” (focus groups) and 8 key informant interviews were conducted with service providers and community members. The goals of these conversations were to strengthen and expand partnerships, assess hepatitis B awareness levels, discover barriers to education and treatment, and elicit recommendations for culturally appropriate health messages and strategies. In April 2010, feedback and lessons learned from these conversations will be shared at a community “Launch”. Materials developed from the input, including “Talking Points” for use by community based organizations and other service providers, will be distributed. Public messages will be disseminated with involvement from ethnic media, including print and radio. Plans for the next steps in hepatitis B advocacy will also be discussed.

Learning Areas:
Advocacy for health and health education
Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs
Program planning

Learning Objectives:
Discuss two community mobilization strategies. Identify three barriers to chronic hepatitis B screening for refugees and immigrants.

Keywords: Community Collaboration, Hepatitis B

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I oversee programs such as behavioral health, community advocacy, health education, maternity support and WIC at a non-profit community health center.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.