MEDIA ADVISORY For Immediate Release May 5, 2010

CONTACT: Stephanie Goss / (415) 292-3420 x 330 David Stupplebeen / (415) 292-3420 x 361

 

ASIAN & PACIFIC ISLANDER WELLNESS CENTER TO OFFER HEP B TESTING AT RICHMOND COMMUNITY HEALTH FESTIVAL

 

WHAT:               Asian & Pacific Islander Wellness Center will provide free, anonymous and confidential hepatitis B (HBV) screening at the 6^th annual Richmond Community Health Festival. Interpretation services and culturally sensitive, bilingual (Cantonese and English) materials will be available to participants to raise awareness about hepatitis B—what it is and how it can be prevented—as well as resources to maintain health and wellness. The festival is free and open to the public and features entertainment, arts and crafts, clinical services, medication review and health workshops.

 

WHERE:              Richmond Recreation Center, 251 18^th Avenue (between California and Clement), San Francisco, CA 94121.

 

WHY:              Hepatitis B is a growing concern in the US, particularly for the Asian and Pacific Islander (A&PI) communities most affected by the disease. 1 in 10 A&PIs are chronically infected with HBV—compared to 1 in 1,000 in the general population—and Asians account for half of all HBV-related deaths in the US (due to liver cancer or liver failure). Despite this grim reality, few Asians have been screened for hepatitis B and even fewer are aware of their risk factors or how to prevent transmission of this preventable and treatable disease.

 

Sonia Rastogi, A&PI Wellness Center’s Testing Clinic Program Specialist, believes that “by providing hepatitis B screening and education in the Richmond district, we are meeting clients where they live, reaching out to communities most affected by hepatitis B.”

 

WHEN:                            Saturday, May 8^th, 2010 from 10 am – 2 pm.

 

WHO:               Asian & Pacific Islander Wellness Center—in conjunction with community partners and as a representative of the SF Hep B Free Collaborative—will offer free hepatitis B screening at the Richmond Community Health Festival.

 

              For more information about our testing services, please contact Sonia Rastogi at sonia@apiwellness.org or (415) 292-3420 x 349.

 

 

About Asian & Pacific Islander Wellness Center

A&PI Wellness Center’s mission is to educate, support, empower and advocate for Asian & Pacific Islander communities, particularly A&PIs living with or at risk for HIV/AIDS. With staff fluent in 20 languages, A&PI Wellness Center delivers programs regionally, statewide, and nationally, and collaborates with community-based organizations throughout the Asia Pacific Region. For press materials or more information please visit www.apiwellness.org.

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