Hepatitis B Foundation Receives $125,000 Grant from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

DOYLESTOWN, PA, December 06, 2012 (Press-News.org) The Hepatitis B Foundation (www.hepb.org), the only national nonprofit organization solely dedicated to finding a cure for hepatitis B and improving the quality of life for those affected worldwide through research, education and patient advocacy, is the recipient of a $125,000 grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The Hepatitis B Foundation has been recognized for its healthcare advocacy work through initiation of the Hep B United Philadelphia campaign, a public awareness and education movement led by the Foundation to address the growing severity of hepatitis B and liver cancer in the city. The nonprofit organization has been selected by the CDC as one of two demonstration sites in the U.S. to document its education, screening and linkage to care efforts through this innovative citywide campaign.

"We are honored to receive this recognition and grant from the CDC," said Hepatitis B Foundation Director of Public Health Chari Cohen, MPH, DrPh(c). "The Hepatitis B Foundation and our Hep B United Philadelphia coalition of more than 60 organizations have been working together to increase testing and vaccination in the fight against hepatitis B and liver cancer. Without essential funding from organizations like the CDC, we would not be able to reach the individuals who are at such high risk for infection and benefit most from our screening and linkage to care efforts."

A key aspect of the CDC grant enables the Foundation to remain fully engaged with community and City of Philadelphia leadership to improve access to care for both prevention and treatment, particularly for underserved high-risk groups, such as Asian Pacific Islander and African immigrants. During the next 12 months, the Foundation will work with local coalition partners to screen 1,000 high-risk adults and navigate people into care for either vaccination or medical evaluation. All of these efforts will be documented and the Foundation will share its results and promising best practices with the CDC so they can develop national guidelines for other groups across the U.S. to implement in the future.

About the Hepatitis B Foundation: The Hepatitis B Foundation is the only national nonprofit organization solely dedicated to finding a cure for hepatitis B and improving the quality of life for those affected worldwide through research, education and patient advocacy. It is headquartered in the PA Biotechnology Center, which it created and co-owns in partnership with Delaware Valley College. To learn more, go to http://www.hepb.org, read our blog at http://wp.hepb.org, follow us on Twitter @HepBFoundation, find us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/hepbfoundation or call (215) 489-4900.

About Hep B United Philadelphia: The Hep B United Philadelphia campaign was established by the Hepatitis B Foundation in 2010 with the goal of creating a citywide, community-owned coalition to increase testing and vaccination in the fight against hepatitis B and liver cancer. To learn more, go to http://www.hepbunitedphiladelphia.org.