The importance of HIV testing cannot be understated 鈥� knowing your HIV status and receiving support is more accessible than ever. Through our HIV/AIDS Services, we are often able to help clients live symptom-free and prevent the spread of HIV. We offer access to a monthly free grocery outlet and can help guide people living with HIV to a variety of needed resources. If you or someone you care about needs support, we are here to help.听

For more information about the AIDS/HIV Services we provide:

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More about why we do what we do: We are building health equity in Silicon Valley – where everyone has the opportunity to live a healthy life by making health-related grants, advocating for policies, and providing services with a focus on food and nutrition, chronic disease prevention and management, and housing support. Because everyone鈥檚 health matters!

For AIDS/HIV Service individuals, we provide a monthly free grocery option where fresh produce and a variety of other healthy options are available. Some of our volunteers (pictured above) have been participating in free grocery days for as many as 20 years!

六合社区 is one of the largest, oldest, and last remaining HIV/AIDS Services organizations south of San Francisco, providing medical and non-medical case management, and nutrition, housing and emergency support services to more than 550 clients each year.

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听This year鈥檚 is 鈥�World AIDS Day 35: Remember and Commit.鈥� This annual event serves as a reminder of the global struggle to end HIV-related stigma, an opportunity to honor those we have lost, and a rallying cry to commit to working toward a day when HIV is no longer a public health threat.

The post Honoring World AIDS Day 35, Committed to Standing Together to Reduce Stigma and Raise Awareness first appeared on 六合社区.

The bill, which is co-sponsored by the 六合社区 Trust and State Treasurer Fiona Ma, was created in collaboration with the Asian Liver Center at Stanford University. Passage of the bill 鈥� co-authored by Assemblymember David Chiu (D-San Francisco) 鈥� would make California the first state in the country to require health facilities to offer voluntary hepatitis B and C testing.
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鈥淓ven before the pandemic, we saw firsthand the devastating inequities in California鈥檚 health care system,鈥� Assemblymember Low said. 鈥淗epatitis B and C affect communities of color 鈥� most notably Asian and Pacific Islander Americans and the Black community 鈥� at a disproportionate scale that is unjust and demands immediate action. We can save lives, as well as improve the quality of life for thousands of people, by mandating tests that cost as little as $10. Anything less than getting this bill passed would be a disgraceful failure to act.鈥�
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A听听found that approximately 88% of people with chronic hepatitis B in California are members of the Asian and Pacific Islander (API) community. Meanwhile, Black Americans have the second-highest prevalence of chronic hepatitis B infection. If left undiagnosed and untreated, 15-25% of people with chronic hepatitis B will die prematurely from complications caused by the infection, including liver cirrhosis and liver cancer.听
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Asian Americans are eight times more likely to die from hepatitis B than non-Hispanic White Americans, while Black Americans are 2.6 times more likely to die than non-Hispanic White Americans.
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Hepatitis C disproportionately impacts Black Americans, who are 2.9 times more likely to test positive than other racial groups. Black Americans account for about 15% of California residents with hepatitis C despite representing just 6.5% of the state鈥檚 population.
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鈥淗epatitis B and C are chronic illnesses that disproportionately impact marginalized communities,鈥� Assemblymember Gipson said. 鈥淎B 789 is an important step forward in our fight to improve health for all Californians.鈥�

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the United States Preventive Services Task Force, and the American Association for the Study of Liver Disease all recommend testing of adults for hepatitis B and C. These services are covered by the Affordable Care Act and Medicare/Medicaid as routine preventive services.
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However, awareness of infections among patients remains critically low. Less than a third of people who have hepatitis B were aware of their condition, while only 60% of hepatitis C patients had knowledge of their infection, according to听

鈥淚ncreasing access to screenings is crucial to improving health outcomes,鈥� Assemblymember Chiu said. 鈥淭his new effort will give patients the information they need and help save lives.鈥�
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Treasurer Ma, who is co-sponsoring the bill, has made the expansion of proper testing and treatment a priority since she first learned of her condition.
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鈥淔or the past 15 years, I have been on the front lines around testing and vaccinations within the Chinese American community specifically,鈥� Treasurer Ma said. 鈥淚 was born with Hepatitis B. However, my doctors never really tested me for my first 40 years. The stigma, coupled with a lack of awareness by many medical doctors, pushed me to come out in 2007 to talk about my condition, and I have been the leading spokesperson of the SF Hep B Free Campaign ever since. This is why I am so proud to partner with Assemblymember Low and the 六合社区 Trust, in collaboration with the Asian Liver Center, on this bill that will save lives.鈥�
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Hispanic Americans, Asian and Pacific Islander Americans, and American Indian/Alaska Natives account for an estimated 29% of individuals with hepatitis C in California.听听than non-Hispanic White Americans.
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鈥淎B 789 comes as viral hepatitis cases continue growing and prevention and treatment efforts have stalled, especially among communities that are also disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic,鈥� said Michele Lew, CEO of the 六合社区 Trust, a Silicon Valley-based nonprofit operating foundation focused on improving health outcomes. 鈥淭his legislation is a significant step forward toward building health equity and eliminating viral hepatitis B and C infections in California. We are honored to have this effort championed by Assemblymembers Low and Gibson, State Treasurer Ma and our partners at the Stanford Asian Liver Center, who address the devastating impacts these diseases have on our communities every day.鈥�
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Dr. Samuel So, a Professor and the Director of the Asian Liver Center at Stanford University, noted that this legislation would help save the lives of people suffering from preventable diseases.

鈥淐hronic hepatitis B and C infection have taken the lives of thousands of Californians and it is a major cause of liver transplantation,鈥� Dr. So said. 鈥淢ost of the complications 鈥� liver failure, cirrhosis, and cancer 鈥� as well as deaths are preventable, beginning with a simple one-time screening test followed by care and antiviral treatment recommended for persons who tested positive. AB 789 can eliminate a major health disparity that disproportionately affects our vibrant Asian American and Black communities.鈥�
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Liver disease and liver cancer caused by hepatitis B and C account for more than a third of the liver transplants in California. Many lives can be saved with a one-time routine screening test for chronic viral hepatitis which costs as little as $10 and $14 for hepatitis B and hepatitis C, respectively. By mandating health facilities to offer voluntary testing at routine medical appointments, and providing care for treatment for persons who test positive, AB 789 will save lives and California taxpayer dollars.
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Assemblymember Low was first elected to the State Assembly in 2014. He represents District 28 constituents in Campbell, Cupertino, Los Gatos, Monte Sereno, and parts of San Jose. He is Chair of the Committee on Business and Professions, Chair of the Legislative LGBTQ Caucus, Vice Chair of the Asian & Pacific Islander Legislative Caucus, and co-Chair of the Legislative Technology & Innovation Caucus.

Additional Media Contacts:

Josh Koehn, Communications Director, Office of Assemblymember Low
josh.koehn@asm.ca.gov

Fiona Ma, California State Treasurer
gli@treasurer.ca.gov

Samuel So, MD
samso@stanford.edu

Victoria Ramirez, 六合社区
victoriar@healthtrust.org

The post 六合社区 Sponsors AB 789 to Address Disparities in California鈥檚 Testing and Treatment for Hepatitis B and C first appeared on 六合社区.