Korean Community Services of Metropolitan New York, Inc.
Korean Community Services of Metropolitan New York, Inc.
Project Title
Stop Hep (B)
Award Amount
$66,218
Location
Manhattan
Web Site
Date Awarded
November 15, 2007
Korean Community Services of Metropolitan New York, Inc. (KCS) is the largest and oldest community-based organization in the New York City metropolitan area dedicated to addressing the social service needs of the Korean-American community.
Founded in 1973, KCS develops and delivers a broad range of health and social services through 28 different programs—11 of them in public health—to more than 1,000 individuals a day from seven different locations in New York City. The KCS Public Health Program serves more than 8,000 clients annually, providing services that include culturally and linguistically competent education, case management, health screenings, immunizations, and public health advocacy.
Hepatitis B is endemic among Korean-Americans and other Asian-Americans in New York, with a prevalence of 15%, 35 times greater than that of the U.S. population overall (higher Asian-American rates reflect higher rates in Asia itself). This one-year project is designed to increase awareness and use of hepatitis B preventive practices among Korean-Americans in New York City through the creation of a culturally and linguistically appropriate social marketing campaign, using messages pilot-tested among three segments of the community. High-quality hepatitis B health education is expected to increase knowledge about the disease and available services, improve attitudes about preventive screening and practices, and increase the use of preventive screening, treatment, and immunization, thereby contributing to a substantial decrease in rates of hepatitis B, first among Korean-Americans, then among other Asian-American communities.