B Free CEED

Asian American Hepatitis B Program

In 2003, the NYU Center for the Study of Asian American Health helped form the Asian American Hepatitis B Program to develop a comprehensive hepatitis B virus (HBV) screening, vaccination, and treatment program. Seventy-five percent of the program’s resources went to community and clinical partners.

With funding from Office of the Mayor of New York City, Chau Trinh-Shevrin, DrPH, and colleagues created the program, which mobilized local community organizations, public hospitals, Federally Qualified Health Centers, independent primary care practices, community health workers, and patient navigators to reach medically underserved and limited-English-proficient communities. Individuals were offered HBV serologic testing at education and screening events or by drop-in at 12 participating healthcare centers and community-based organization sites. The program focused on Chinese, Korean, Southeast Asian, African, Latinx, and Russian immigrants at high risk for HBV.

Overall, about 9,000 high-risk individuals received hepatitis screening, vaccination, and treatment. The prevalence of chronic HBV was about 18 percent. Among HBV-negative individuals, 35.5 percent were susceptible to infection and required vaccination. Ninety percent of the 1,162 individuals completing a full clinical evaluation were referred to care and treatment.

Research conducted through the Asian American Hepatitis B Program enabled the NYU Center for the Study of Asian American Health and the B Free CEED: National Center of Excellence in the Elimination of Hepatitis B Disparities to co-found the NYC HEP B Coalition. and inform the development of the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene–funded CheckHepB Patient Navigation Program..

The Asian American Hepatitis B Program also influenced the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force policy change in May 2014 on HBV screening to include international-born individuals from countries with a more than 2 percent HBV prevalence rate.

B Free CEED: National Center of Excellence in the Elimination of Hepatitis B Disparities

The Asian American Hepatitis B Program led to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) award to fund the B Free CEED: National Center of Excellence in the Elimination of Hepatitis B Disparities, a national resource and expert center committed to eliminating hepatitis B disparities in Asian and Pacific Islander communities from 2007 to 2012.

B Free CEED developed, evaluated, and disseminated evidence-based communication strategies, education, screening programs, and collaborative care and treatment models to eliminate HBV disparities in Asian and Pacific Islander communities. A partnership of New York University School of Medicine and local and national coalition members, B Free CEED was 1 of 18 Centers of Excellence in the Elimination of Disparities funded under the CDC’s Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health Across the U.S. (REACH U.S.) program of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

About the B Free CEED Be Certain Campaign 

In late 2008, the B Free CEED Partnership began developing a campaign to encourage screening for hepatitis B among the Chinese and Korean communities at highest risk for infection. Informed by data collected over a period of two years from NYC Korean and Chinese residents, the campaign was developed with the award-winning NYC advertising agency, APartnership. The result is a multi-phase campaign to build awareness, decrease hepatitis B-related stigma, and to encourage the at-risk community to know their hepatitis B status by getting tested. The campaign includes a 30-second public service announcement available in Chinese and Korean with English subtitles, as well as print ads available in Chinese, Korean, and English. 

In 2012, B FREE CEED launched the Be Certain: Get Tested for Hepatitis B. campaign, consisting of a 30-second public service announcement (PSA) videos, available in Chinese and Korean with English subtitles and print ads available in Chinese, Korean, and English. Scroll down the page to view the print ads. To view these PSA videos, visit our YouTube Channel, or click the links below:

Be Certain: Get Tested for Hepatitis B: Mandarin Chinese PSA (English subtitle) 


Be Certain: Get Tested for Hepatitis B: Korean PSA (English subtitle) 

About Hepatitis B 

  

What is hepatitis B? 

  • It can be a lifelong chronic disease. 
  • Most people with hepatitis B do not show signs or symptoms. 
  • Hepatitis B can lead to cirrhosis (liver scarring), liver damage, or liver cancer if it is not cared for or treated. 
  • Infection by the hepatitis B virus can progress into a serious liver disease. 

Why should we care about hepatitis B? 

  • Chronic infection with hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a significant problem in the world, affecting 350-400 million people worldwide. This makes it more common than HIV or hepatitis C. 
  • About 1 in 10 Asians has hepatitis B, compared to 1 in 300 in the overall US population. 
  • Chronic hepatitis B is a significant health disparity in the US, and more than ½ of those infected are Asian. 
  • 80% of liver cancers in the world are caused by chronic hepatitis B infections. 
  • Liver cancer rates are rising in the US, largely due to viral hepatitis. 

Who is at risk for hepatitis B? 

  • People who emigrated from countries where hepatitis B is endemic. 
  • People with sexual partner(s) who are infected with hepatitis B. 
  • People who live with a person who has chronic hepatitis B. 
  • People who are Intravenous Drug Users. 
  • For more information about those at risk, look at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s “Hepatitis B FAQs for the Public” (http://www.cdc.gov/hepatitis/B/bFAQ.htm). 

How hepatitis B is transmitted? 

  • Hepatitis B is spread through direct contact with blood and bodily fluids. 
  • You can get hepatitis B by:  
           - Mother-to-child transmission: an infected pregnant woman can spread the virus to her newborn 
           - Having unprotected sexual activity 
           - Sharing a toothbrush or razor 
           - Having a tattoo or body piercing done with unclean tools 
           - Sharing or getting pricked by a used drug needle 

How hepatitis B is transmitted? 

  • You cannot get hepatitis B by: 
            - Casual contact such as hugging 
           - Coughing or sneezing 
           - Sharing utensils or eating with someone with hepatitis B 
           - Eating unclean food 

Getting screened for hepatitis B 

  • You can find out if you have hepatitis B through a simple blood test. 
  • Most people do not feel sick when they are infected. By the time they feel sick, it is often too late for treatment to be effective. 
  • If you don’t have hepatitis B, the best way to prevent hepatitis B infection is by getting vaccinated. Three shots of the hepatitis B vaccine are needed for lifelong protection from the hepatitis B virus. 

Hepatitis B Materials

Resources in English

Resources in Chinese

Resources in Korean

Get Screened 

Be Certain: Get Tested for Hepatitis B! 

You can find out if you have hepatitis B through a simple blood test. Below are testing sites in NYC: 

Screenings: 

Addabbo Health Center (Far Rockaway) 
62-00 Beach Channel Drive, Queens, NY 11692 
(718) 945-7150 
 
 Bellevue Hospital Center Adult Hepatitis Clinic 
462 First Avenue, New York, NY 10016 
(212) 562-1011 
 
Charles B. Wang Community Health Center 
Flushing, Queens: 
136-26 37th Ave., Flushing, NY 11354 
(718) 886-1212 
Hours: Mon, Tues, Thu, Fri, 
Sat: 9-6pm, Wed, Sun: 10-6pm 
 
Chinatown, Manhattan: 
268 Canal Street, New York, NY 10013 
(212) 379-6998 
Hours: Mon, Tues, Thu, Fri: 8-6pm, 
Wednesday, 10 am – 6 pmSat, Sun: 9-6pm 
Please call Charles B. Wang Community Center sites to schedule an appointment for a free screening. 
**Free vaccinations are also available for susceptible individuals. 
 
Mount Sinai HONE (Hepatitis Outreach Network) 
5 East 98th Street 11th Floor 
New York, NY 10029 
(212) 241-9538 
 
Weill-Cornell Medical Center 
1305 York Avenue, New York, NY 10021 
(646) 962-4742 

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Apicha Community Health Center
400 Broadway, New York, NY 10013 
(212) 334-6029 
Monday, Tuesday, Friday – 9:30am to 5:30p 
 
Callen-Lorde Community Health Center 
356 West 18th Street, New York, NY 10011 
(212) 271-7200 
 
Korean Community Services Hep B program 
Clinic site: 36-22 Parsons Blvd. Flushing, NY 11354 
Office: 2 West 32nd St #604 New York, NY 10001 
(212) 463-9685 (Please call before visiting) 
Hours: Opened 9:30 to 12 (noon), Every 2nd and 4th Thursday of each month 
 
Institute for Family Health 
1879 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10035 
(212) 423-4500 
 
Morris Heights Health Center 
57 West Burnside Avenue Harrison Circle 
Bronx, NY 10453 
(718) 716-4400 


Follow the New York City Hepatitis B Coalition on Twitter! (www.twitter.com/nychepb) 

 
President Obama signed a Proclamation recognizing World Hepatitis Day on July 28th, 2012. 
For more information and to see the Proclamation, follow this link: http://hepatitis.med.nyu.edu/news/2012/ 
proclamation-world-hepatitis-day-2012-president-barack-obama. 

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