SARS

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SARS BeyondAn innovative communicable disease
project for Chinese immigrants and asylees

• Patricia Erwin, MPH
• Cheuk Yee Charlene Au, BS
• Newcomers Health Program
• San Francisco Department of Public Health

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Overview of Newcomers Health Program

• Program of the San Francisco Department of Public
  Health
• For about 25 years, has served newly arrived
  refugees, asylees, and immigrants in San
  Francisco
• Core funding is from the California Refugee
  Health Section and the San Francisco Department
  of Public Health

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Overview of Newcomers Health
Program

• Our Initiatives
• Refugee Health Assessment Program
• Refugee Preventive Health Program
• SUNSET Russian Tobacco Education Project
• Bosnian Community Wellness Program
• SARS Beyond Communicable Disease Prevention
  Project

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Our Project Beginnings

• In Spring, 2003, the California Department of
  Health Services, Refugee Health Section saw a
  need to mitigate hysteria and backlash to the
  Chinese population and their businesses due to
  the SARS epidemic.
• Approached Newcomers Health Program with
  opportunity to implement an innovative project
  for community education and outreach in San
  Francisco county-- one of their funded counties
  with high number of Chinese asylees.

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Redefining Project Focus

• Project began July 1, 2003
• Worldwide SARS crisis had died down by late July
  2003 no outbreaks in San Francisco
• A meeting was convened with staff and projects
  Advisory Committee
• Decision to expand the focus to SARS Beyond,
  with broader communicable disease prevention
  message

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Our Project Activities

• Community education workshops on personal hygiene
  and preventing air-borne communicable illnesses
• Bilingual health education materials and
  information for community campaign on prevention
• One-on-one education to all new arrivals
  receiving health assessment services at Refugee
  Medical Clinic
• Extensive community input throughout to ensure
  community interest and cultural appropriateness

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Community and Patient Education Components

• Chinese community very family oriented
• Use consistent message Health is in Our Hands
• Emphasize that by taking some simple personal
  steps can protect their families and community
• Educated newcomers that air-borne disease are
  spread the same, whether SARS, Flu, Colds, etc.
• Distributed promotional item to support
  educational message

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Promotional Item

• Tissue pack message matches our campaigns
  bilingual health message
• Tissue packs distributed extensively through
  workshops, health fairs and clinic setting

Health is in Our Hands ??????? [phone]
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Community Campaign Components

• All major components had the same graphic and
  message
• Advertisements
• Posters
• Postcards
• Flyers, brochures and articles had similar
  messages

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Chinese Newspaper Advertisement

• Placed in popular Chinese newspapers help to
  spread the information out into the community

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• SARS Beyond
• Health is in Our Hands Poster
• Bilingual (Chinese and English) educational
  poster which included five simple steps to take
  to protect families and community

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SARS Postcard
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Keys to Project Success

• Hiring bilingual/bicultural staff with health
  education expertise
• Planning and implementation strategies to create
  culturally appropriate project
• Advisory committee
• Focus groups
• Consultants with community expertise
• Utilize other staff from the ethnic group
• Come back to these sources throughout project

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County and Statewide Collaboration

• Collaborate with other community-based agencies
  in SF, which serve other communities to share
  campaign materials
• Health education materials translated and patient
  education provided for Russian, Bosnian and
  Vietnamese by our staff
• We shared our materials with CRHS funded project
  in Los Angeles in Winter 2004 for similar project
  there

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Recommendations

• Conduct assessments and make community
  connections before implementing programs
• Involve community in planning, developing
  materials, implementing,
• Be flexible to change plans based on experiences
  and outside circumstances
• Share information and materials with other
  communities and agencies

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SARS BeyondHealth is in Our Hands Project

• An innovative project between state and local
  government working with the community in response
  to a worldwide health issue that included
  culturally appropriate education and
  community-wide information dissemination

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For More Information

• Newcomers Health Program
• San Francisco Department of Public Health
• 1490 Mason Street, Rm.107
• San Francisco, CA 94133
• Patricia Erwin, MPH, Program Manager
• [phone] patricia.erwin_at_sfdph.org
• C.Y. Charlene Au, BS, Health Educator
• au_charlene_at_yahoo.com