NAWHO Blog

A Profile on Asian Community Health: The Hepatitis B Coalition of WA

Since 1997, the Hepatitis B Coalition of WA (HBCW) has worked to increase awareness of hepatitis B, with a primary focus on the Asian Pacific Islander (API) community.  Strategies include:

• The development and distribution of culturally and linguistically appropriate educational materials
• Presentations on hepatitis B to schools and local community groups
• Collaboration with national partners to raise hepatitis B awareness at the federal level
• Promotion of hepatitis B testing and immunization, including testing 749 API individuals for the hepatitis B virus since September 2006. 

HBCW has developed and strengthened its relationships not only with the API communities, but with the service providers – local, state, and national – who have, and continue to support, the Coalition’s work.

However, the world in which we live is becoming more complex and diverse, as is our state’s population.  APIs (along with Latinos) are the fastest growing racial and ethnic group in Seattle-King County (SKC), increasing from 8% in 1990 to 14% in SKC and 6% in the state (2004 Census estimate).  In addition, diverse communities such as East Africans are making Seattle their home; unfortunately many of these communities are coming from regions where the hepatitis B prevalence is 8% or higher. 

Hepatitis B Activities Targeting API Pregnant Women & Households

I’m trying to find out if anyone or organization has done work or thinking around hepatitis B-related systems/identification of systems gaps impacting API pregnant women and their households (perhaps a best practice model out there?).  Many organizations have targeted the general API population via materials and community screenings but we also know that the primary mode of HBV transmission is at birth.

I am working with the Washington State dept of health’s perinatal hepatitis B program and my coalition members to do some strategic thinking around this and one of my strategies is to ask you, my more-experienced colleagues.  I’ve already had some conversations with other partners, but hope you would have ideas or thoughts to share (in addition to standing recommendations and requirements to test all pregnant women at birth).

Thanks.

Kim Nguyen
Washington State API Hepatitis B Task Force