El Camino Hospital has taken a leadership role in the Hep B Free: Santa Clara County campaign. The campaign is a county-wide grass roots initiative dedicated to promoting awareness of Hepatitis B and liver cancer. Hepatitis B is the number-one health threat in the Asian community. One in 12 Asian Pacific Islanders (API) is infected with chronic hepatitis B, compared to less than 1 in every 1000 people in the Caucasian population. More importantly, two-thirds of all infected patients are unaware of their infection. If left unmonitored, one in four of those infected will develop serious health complications, including liver cancer, liver cirrhosis or liver failure. Learn more about Hepatitis B.
There is a large and fast-growing Asian population around El Camino Hospital's market area, and this population is at significant risk of contracting Hepatitis B:
Free Screenings and Vaccination Events in Santa Clara County
This calendar is maintained by the Santa Clara County Hep B Free campaign. It lists screenings, vaccination clinics, health fairs and Hep B prevention talks. Take an active role in your health today!
El Camino Hospital's Participation in the Hep B Campaign
The Hep B Free campaign officially launched on March 9, 2012 with a kick-off banquet attended by 26 elected public officials and more than 600 community and health care leaders. El Camino Hospital's involvement in this campaign is spearheaded by the Chinese Health Initiative and includes:
- Funding of a 20-hour campaign coordinator dedicated to support the campaign
- Providing free hepatitis B screenings for the underserved and uninsured; As of May 2012, more than 300 people have been screened.
- Hosting hepatitis B workshops, with physician speakers including Dr. Jiayi Li, Dr. Andy Yu, Dr. Tony Chen, and Dr. Vicky Yang.
- Partnering with school districts to disseminate hepatitis B education flyers, reaching more than 34,400 families as of May 2012.
- Educating physicians and nurses about hepatitis B-related medical practices, reaching more than 100 health care providers as of May 2012.