San Francisco Hep B Free: A Grassroots Community Coalition to Prevent Hepatitis B and Liver Cancer

Background: To address the health disparities caused by hepatitis B virus related morbidity and mortality among APIs in San Francisco, the San Francisco Hep B Free Campaign was established, a collaboration between the public and private sectors, bringing together the API community, health care system, policy makers, businesses and the general public.

Objective: To partner with diverse organizations to leverage existing resources to increase public and healthcare provider awareness about hepatitis B among APIs, promote routine hepatitis B screening and vaccination as part of standard of primary care and ensure access to treatment for chronically infected individuals

Methods: The San Francisco Hep B Free campaign has utilized mass media such as advertisements and news stories to promote public awareness of hepatitis B. To further educate primary care providers, educational events have been held at major institutions. To promote the growing number of doctor's offices that are testing patients for hepatitis B, the Clinician Honor Roll is updated monthly and published in publications to highlight those who make the commitment and to inspire other physicians.

Results: From 2007-2009, over 150 organizations contributed approximately $1,000,000 in resources to the Campaign. 40 educational events reached 1,100 healthcare providers and 50% of primary care physicians pledged to screen APIs routinely for hepatitis B.

Discussion/Conclusion: This model has been highly successful resulting in improved surveillance and better integration of hepatitis B services in existing health care delivery systems.