Our Beginnings
Hepatitis B, also known as the “silent killer” because it has few symptoms, is one of the most common diseases in the world. If untreated, it can eventually lead to cirrhosis and liver cancer. 1 in 1000 in the general population is chronically affected, but in the Asian and Pacific Islander (API) community, 1 in 10 is chronically affected. The prevalence of Hepatitis B among APIs has been called “the greatest health disparity that exists between APIs and the general U.S. population” by the city of San Francisco.
The San Francisco Bay Area has one of the largest populations of APIs in the country, with an estimated 1,515,179 APIs living in the area. However, little progress has been made in screening the largely linguistically isolated API population of Alameda County that is expected to constitute 28.8% of the county’s population by 2020. Practically no clinics provide free screenings for a population that is more likely to be uninsured compared with the rest of the county. The lack of resources available and the insufficient number of organizations helping API communities serve as obstacles for any effort to tackle this health issue.
The Hep B Project was established in 2009 when Kevin Hur, a UC Berkeley student, set out to make healthcare more accessible in Alameda County, where the API populations constitute a striking 26.1%, or 394,560 individuals, of the total population. In Oakland alone, APIs constitute 18.7% of the population, or 73,617 individuals, making it one of the largest populations of APIs in the country. However, with the help of Kathy Ahoy, an Alameda County Public Health Nurse, Kevin was able to jumpstart the Project with a dedicated team of 8 students. Rather than reinventing the wheel, Kevin began contacting existing organizations that would be interested in helping to outreach, screen, or vaccinate the API community. As more volunteers joined and more community partners become involved, The Hep B Project launched two weekly clinics: Wednesday Clinics at the Street Level Health Project, where the Hep B Project provides free hepatitis B education, screenings and vaccinations, and Saturday Clinics at Asian Health services, where the Hep B Project outreaches to the community through education and free screenings.
Since then, our organization has vaccinated over 1000 patients, educated over 4,000 community members, and formed partnerships with prominent organizations such as the Alameda County Hep B Free campaign, Hep B Moms, the Alameda County Department of Public Health, and numerous community centers. In light of our growing partnerships, we are discovering more and more communities who are in need of our services, and we are stepping up to the challenge of eradicating hepatitis B from Alameda County.
The San Francisco Bay Area has one of the largest populations of APIs in the country, with an estimated 1,515,179 APIs living in the area. However, little progress has been made in screening the largely linguistically isolated API population of Alameda County that is expected to constitute 28.8% of the county’s population by 2020. Practically no clinics provide free screenings for a population that is more likely to be uninsured compared with the rest of the county. The lack of resources available and the insufficient number of organizations helping API communities serve as obstacles for any effort to tackle this health issue.
The Hep B Project was established in 2009 when Kevin Hur, a UC Berkeley student, set out to make healthcare more accessible in Alameda County, where the API populations constitute a striking 26.1%, or 394,560 individuals, of the total population. In Oakland alone, APIs constitute 18.7% of the population, or 73,617 individuals, making it one of the largest populations of APIs in the country. However, with the help of Kathy Ahoy, an Alameda County Public Health Nurse, Kevin was able to jumpstart the Project with a dedicated team of 8 students. Rather than reinventing the wheel, Kevin began contacting existing organizations that would be interested in helping to outreach, screen, or vaccinate the API community. As more volunteers joined and more community partners become involved, The Hep B Project launched two weekly clinics: Wednesday Clinics at the Street Level Health Project, where the Hep B Project provides free hepatitis B education, screenings and vaccinations, and Saturday Clinics at Asian Health services, where the Hep B Project outreaches to the community through education and free screenings.
Since then, our organization has vaccinated over 1000 patients, educated over 4,000 community members, and formed partnerships with prominent organizations such as the Alameda County Hep B Free campaign, Hep B Moms, the Alameda County Department of Public Health, and numerous community centers. In light of our growing partnerships, we are discovering more and more communities who are in need of our services, and we are stepping up to the challenge of eradicating hepatitis B from Alameda County.
