Open AccessStudent Leadership in Public Health Advocacy: Lessons Learned From the Hepatitis B Initiative
Author(s) -
Leslie Hsu,
William DeJong,
Renee Y. Hsia,
Michael Chang,
Marvin Ryou,
Ellen Yeh
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
american journal of public health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.284
H-Index - 264
eISSN - 1541-0048
pISSN - 0090-0036
DOI - 10.2105/ajph.93.8.1250
Subject(s) - pacific islanders , public health , medicine , hepatitis b , vaccination , hepatitis b virus , family medicine , chinatown , environmental health , gerontology , political science , virology , nursing , law , population , virus
Increasing hepatitis B vaccination rates for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders is a priority. Laws requiring vaccination prior to school enrollment have helped, yet many youths remain unvaccinated. The Hepatitis B Initiative (HBI), launched in 1997 and operated by public health and medical school students, provides free screenings and vaccinations to Boston's Asian American/Pacific Islander community, with a focus on youths. By October 2002, 997 HBI patients from Boston's Chinatown had received free hepatitis B screenings. Of these, 384 patients (39%) were deemed susceptible to the hepatitis B virus and provided with free vaccination.