Campaign Educates Health Professionals

[Guest guest]

http://www.asianweek.com/2008/12/23/campaign-educates-health-professionals/

Campaign Educates Health Professionals

December 23, 2008

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As part of S.F. Hep B Free’s goal to create public and health care provider

awareness about the importance of testing and vaccinating Asian and Pacific

Islanders for hepatitis B and to promote its routine testing and vaccination

within the primary care medical community, the campaign hosted an educational

lunch for medical professionals and community health educators on Dec. 16.

Approximately 15 people attended the informative event sponsored by

Bristol-Myers Squibb and supported by the Shih Yu-Lang Central YMCA.

Representatives from Glide Health Services, Tenderloin Health and North East

Medical Services were in attendance, and all have had clients inquire about the

disease upon sighting S.F. Hep B Free’s Be A Hero disease awareness ad campaign.

Dr. Bradley Hare, assistant clinical professor of medicine and director of the

HIV Clinic at the University of California, San Francisco, gave a brief but

comprehensive slideshow overview on hepatitis B, discussing everything from how

the disease is transmitted - mother to a child transmission at the time of

birth, contact with infected blood and unprotected sex - to tackling the

nomenclature involved in interpreting test results.

Noting that many of the attendees belong to community health centers, Hare

advised them to screen their patients for hepatitis B especially if they have an

HIV infection, an infected family member, multiple sexual partners, a history of

STDs or are pregnant as the likelihood of the disease is higher in these groups

than the general population.

“It is important to raise awareness for the severity of this disease, if left

untreated hepatitis B can cause liver cancer and death,” Hare told the crowd.

For Tina Gaw, clinical social worker at North East Medical Services in

Chinatown, the presentation was a great way to learn more about the disease.

“This event was helpful in understanding hepatitis B, and I will be prepared

next time a patient asks about it,” said Gaw.

For more about S.F. Hep B Free visit sfhepbfree.org.

Written by Pang · Filed Under San Francisco Hep B Update

[Guest guest]

http://www.asianweek.com/2008/12/23/campaign-educates-health-professionals/

Campaign Educates Health Professionals

December 23, 2008

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As part of S.F. Hep B Free’s goal to create public and health care provider

awareness about the importance of testing and vaccinating Asian and Pacific

Islanders for hepatitis B and to promote its routine testing and vaccination

within the primary care medical community, the campaign hosted an educational

lunch for medical professionals and community health educators on Dec. 16.

Approximately 15 people attended the informative event sponsored by

Bristol-Myers Squibb and supported by the Shih Yu-Lang Central YMCA.

Representatives from Glide Health Services, Tenderloin Health and North East

Medical Services were in attendance, and all have had clients inquire about the

disease upon sighting S.F. Hep B Free’s Be A Hero disease awareness ad campaign.

Dr. Bradley Hare, assistant clinical professor of medicine and director of the

HIV Clinic at the University of California, San Francisco, gave a brief but

comprehensive slideshow overview on hepatitis B, discussing everything from how

the disease is transmitted - mother to a child transmission at the time of

birth, contact with infected blood and unprotected sex - to tackling the

nomenclature involved in interpreting test results.

Noting that many of the attendees belong to community health centers, Hare

advised them to screen their patients for hepatitis B especially if they have an

HIV infection, an infected family member, multiple sexual partners, a history of

STDs or are pregnant as the likelihood of the disease is higher in these groups

than the general population.

“It is important to raise awareness for the severity of this disease, if left

untreated hepatitis B can cause liver cancer and death,” Hare told the crowd.

For Tina Gaw, clinical social worker at North East Medical Services in

Chinatown, the presentation was a great way to learn more about the disease.

“This event was helpful in understanding hepatitis B, and I will be prepared

next time a patient asks about it,” said Gaw.

For more about S.F. Hep B Free visit sfhepbfree.org.

Written by Pang · Filed Under San Francisco Hep B Update