Unite Against HVB: Building Support for Education

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Unite Against HVB Building Support for Education
Prevention

• Second International Conference on
• Lao Studies
• May 3-6, 2007
• Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ
• Khammany Mathavongsy, MPA
• Laotian American National Alliance

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About LANA

• The mission of LANA is to advocate for the
  social, economic, and educational advancement of
  Laotian Americans
• LANA serves as a channel to disseminate critical
  federal policies, legislation alerts, funding
  opportunities, and urgent community concerns

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Snap Shot of Laotian American

• 2000 U.S. Census estimated 384,513 inclusive of
  all ethnic groups from Laos
• Between 91-95 speak a language other than
  English at home
• Between 52-58 are Limited English Proficient
• Between 31-35 live in Linguistically Isolated
  household
• 66 of Laotian American adults are foreign
  born

Source Diverse Communities, Diverse Experiences
A review of socioeconomic indicators on Asian
Americans and Pacific Islanders, using data
extracted and analyzed from Census 2000
Socio-economic Status (SES) data.
http//www.apiahf.org/resources/pdf/Diverse20Com
munities20Diverse20Experiences.pdf
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Snap Shot of Laotian American

• California is home to the largest Laotian
  American
• Less than ten percent of Laotian American adults
  have completed College
• Per capita incomes below that of any of the major
  Asian American racial or ethnic groups lt 14,000
• Less than half of Laotian foreign-born have
  become citizens

Source A Community of Contrasts Asian Americans
and Pacific Islanders in the United States
Demographic Profile. Asian Pacific American
Legal Center of Southern California www.apalc.org
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Top Five States with Largest Laotian American
Population

• State Number Percent
• California 135,799 35
• Minnesota 56,959 25
• Wisconsin 42,214 10.9
• N. Carolina 14,264 3.7
• Texas 12,048 3.1

Source Southeast Asian American Statistical
Profile, Southeast Asia Resource Action Center
(SEARAC) 2004 http//www.searac.org/seastatprofile
may04.pdf
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Hepatitis B infection in the U.S.

• Approximately 1.4 million people in the U.S. are
  chronically infected with HBV
• 5,000-6,000 people die each year from HBV related
  liver disease or liver cancer
• Average 130,000 new diagnosed carrier per year
• 50 of chronically HBV are Asian American

Asian Liver Center at Stanford University.
http//liver.stanford.edu
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HBV A Silent Killer

• Liver cancer is one of the top three causes of
  death by cancer in Asia, the Pacific, and
  sub-Saharan Africa.
• At least 80 of liver cancer is caused by HBV.
• Worldwide, liver cancer is the fourth leading
  cause of cancer death in men
• In California, liver cancer ranks as a leading
  cause of cancer death 1 in Laotian Americans,
  2 in Vietnamese and Cambodian Americans

Sources Asian Liver Center at Stanford
University. http//liver.stanford.edu
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HBV Vaccines

• The World Health Organization (WHO) named the
  Hepatitis B vaccine as the first anti-cancer
  vaccine
• The current form of the Hepatitis B vaccine has
  been used in the U.S. since 1986
• Rate of Vaccination is still low among Asian
  American community, including Laotian American

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Challenges for Laotian to get Vaccinated

• Lack of knowledge
• Misconception about the disease
• Missed Opportunity by healthcare providers
• Screening
• Cost of testing
• Unable to afford the high costs of Vaccination

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Other Barriers

• Socio-economic Cultural Factors
• Poverty and Uninsured
• Mistrust of Western Medicines
• Inaccessibility of services
• Structural System Barriers
• Language Access Issues
• Lack of health information in Lao
• Culturally Irrelevant Healthcare

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First National Hepatitis B Legislations

• H.R. 4550, the National Hepatitis B Act was
  introduced in the House by U.S. Representatives
  Mike Honda (D-CA) and Charles Dent (R-PA) on
  December 15, 2005.
• (Senate Bill, S.3558) was introduced in the
  Senate on June 30, 2006 by U.S. Senator Rick
  Santorum (R-PA) and U.S. Senator Diane Feinstein
  (D-CA).

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H.R. 4550/ S. 3558 Bills

• Establish and implement a national comprehensive
  HBV prevention, education, research, and medical
  treatment
• Bi-partisan support in the House and the Senate
  during the 109th Congress
• Will be re-introduced in the 110th Congress

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National Hepatitis Awareness Month

• May is National Hepatitis Awareness Month
• Designated by the Center for Disease Control and
  Prevention in 2001
• Events to highlight the needs to improve
  prevention, education, and access to medical care
  and treatment
• May 10, 2007Library of Congress Symposium
  Combating HIV and Hepatitis B on HBV/HIV
  Vaccines in Washington, D.C.
• May 11, 2007Congressional Briefing on Asian
  American Health, Washington, D.C.

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National Hepatitis B Awareness Week

• House Resolution 250 unanimously passed the U.S.
  House of Representative
• Co-sponsored by Rep. Mike Honda (D-CA) and Rep.
  Tim Murphy (R-PA)
• Recognizes Hepatitis B as the world most serious
  liver infection
• May 9-16 designated as National Hepatitis B
  Awareness Week

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California First Hepatitis Legislation

• AB 158-Hepatitis B Prevention
• Authored by Assemblywoman Fiona Ma (D-San
  Francisco)
• Passed the Assembly Health Committee and is
  expected to be heard in the Assembly
  Appropriations Committee
• Requires the CA Dept. of Public Health to
  establish Hepatitis B prevention and Pilot
  management program fund
• Provides culturally and language appropriate
  education and awareness campaign to communities
  with high rate of HBV infection

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San Francisco Hepatitis B Free Campaign

• First city in the nation calling for testing and
  vaccinating all Asian and Pacific Islander
  residents
• Partnership of government, private healthcare
  providers, the media and community organizations
• Goal of making San Francisco free of hepatitis B
• Provides low-cost or free screening and
  vaccination to all city residents

http//www.sfhepbfree.org/index.htm
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Asian American Rally to Support Hepatitis B
Prevention Bill
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Improving Health through Policy Advocacy

• Community groups have the opportunity to raise
  critical policy issues and solutions
• Provide expertise for sound decision-making
• Communicate needed policy recommendations to
  elected officials and other policymakers

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Importance of Civic Engagement

• Keep policy makers informed and accountable
• Give the voice to the Voiceless
• Organized minorities always beat unorganized
  majorities
• Silence means everythings okay
• The Squeaky wheel gets the grease

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Need for Advocacy and Enforcement of Language
Rights Laws

• High need for protection of health access for all
• Executive Order 13166 improve access to health
  and social service for LEP population
• Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964
  prohibits discrimination based on race, color,
  or national origin.
• California Bilingual Service Act of 1973
• Improvement of culturally competency and language
  access are important in service delivery

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Needs for National Data

• There are no national data on health status of
  Laotians in the U.S.
• Most of what we currently know about health
  status of this population comes from small
  studies, state, and local statistics
• Most of the data/statistics on Laotian Americans
  are from community-based researches

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Ways to Take Action for ourselves

• Contact your Congressional members to support the
  re-introduction of National Hepatitis B Act
• Conduct personal visits to Congressional district
  offices
• Testify at the public hearing on issues impacting
  community
• Write letters or emails to express opinions and
  tell them what matters to your community
• Contact Laotian American National Alliance
  www.lana-usa.org

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Resources and Information on Hepatitis B in Asian
American Communities

• The Asian Liver Center at Stanford University.
  http//liver.stanford.edu/index.asp
• National Task Force on Hepatitis B Immunization
  Focus on Asian and Pacific Islander
• httpwww.aapihp.com/hepbtf.default.asp
• Center for Disease Control and Prevention
  National Immunization Program www.cdc.gov/nip
• National Center for Infectious Diseases
  Hepatitis
• www.cdc.gov/ncidod/diseases/hepatitis/b/index.htm
  

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CDC Recommendation for Adults Children
Vaccinations

• Conduct universal hepatitis B vaccination for all
  unvaccinated adults with high HBV prevalence
• Health-care providers inform all patients about
  the health benefits of vaccination
• Vaccinate adults who report risks for HBV
  infection
• Implement standing orders to identify adults
  recommended for hepatitis B vaccination and
  administer vaccination as part of routine
  clinical services
• December 2006, CDC issued recommendation to adult
  vaccination
• www.lana-usa.org Hepatitis Information Lao
  English for Person with Hepatitis B under Health

Sources http//www.cdc.gov/ncidod/diseases/hepati
tis/recs/index.htm
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CDC Recommendation for Mothers and Children

• An Ounce of Prevention is Worth a Pound of Cure
• In 1991, CDC recommended all new born infants be
  vaccinated
• www.lana-usa.org Hepatitis Information Lao
  English for Pregnant Mother

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Laotian American National Alliance

• Contact Information
• 1628 16th Street, NW
• Washington, DC 20009
• Tel [phone]
• Fax [phone]
• www.lana-usa.org