Hepatitis B Program Gets Federal Money

The federal government has contracted a Hepatitis B prevention program created by Harvard students to work in Boston's Chinatown in an effort to reduce the spread of the deadly disease.

Earlier this fall, the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) agreed to pay $48,000 to the Hepatitis B Education and Prevention in Boston Initiative (HepB) and the South Cove Community Health Center.

Michael K. Tran '96 and Leslie D. Hsu, a student at the School of Public Health, founded HepB in February 1997. It focuses on screenings and vaccinations for the uninsured, particularly among Boston's Asian-American population.

"It started off very grass-roots, "Tran said.

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, an estimated 140,000 to 320,000 people in the United States are infected with Hepatitis B every year. Nearly 5,000 Americans die from the disease annually.

"We chose Hepatitis B because it is an important disease that affects a lot of people and has long-term consequences," Tran said. "It is also preventative by vaccine and behavior modification."

HepB grew to include students from the Harvard Medical School, Harvard School of Public Health, Tufts University School of Medicine and Boston University Medical School.

According to Harvard Medical School spokesperson Peta Gillyatt, the HepB Initiative and South Cove plan to

use the money to expand screening programs forHepatitis B.

The program received pilot-project funding fromHCFA and serves as a model for other agencies inother cities.

"Our main objectives are to educate peopleabout Hepatitis B...and to vaccinate people toprotect them from the virus," said Duy T. Nguyen'97, one of the current student directors of theHepB Initiative.

The organization relies upon facilities likeSouth Cove, which is located in Chinatown, foraccess to health care professionals who canprovide vaccinations and blood tests for thecommunity.

As part of its prevention campaign, theinitiative encourages members of the community toreturn for all three installments of the vaccine.

In November the students of the HepB Initiativeand the South Cove Community Health Center plan tolaunch a mass media campaign to promote HepatitisB vaccination awareness.

In an effort to reach out to the people ofBoston even more, HepB organizers hope to set up aroving clinic, Nguyen said. The clinic will stopat various community centers and offer freescreenings and vaccinations

use the money to expand screening programs forHepatitis B.

The program received pilot-project funding fromHCFA and serves as a model for other agencies inother cities.

"Our main objectives are to educate peopleabout Hepatitis B...and to vaccinate people toprotect them from the virus," said Duy T. Nguyen'97, one of the current student directors of theHepB Initiative.

The organization relies upon facilities likeSouth Cove, which is located in Chinatown, foraccess to health care professionals who canprovide vaccinations and blood tests for thecommunity.

As part of its prevention campaign, theinitiative encourages members of the community toreturn for all three installments of the vaccine.

In November the students of the HepB Initiativeand the South Cove Community Health Center plan tolaunch a mass media campaign to promote HepatitisB vaccination awareness.

In an effort to reach out to the people ofBoston even more, HepB organizers hope to set up aroving clinic, Nguyen said. The clinic will stopat various community centers and offer freescreenings and vaccinations