2017 Events
Flushing, Queens, N.Y.
Think About the Link® and New Tang Dynasty Television hosted an Asian Community Health Fair in Flushing, Queens on October 28. More than 20 health-related vendors provided in-language resources and services to more than 350 Asian-American community members. State Senator Tony Avella (D-NY) gave opening remarks and presented a proclamation commending the Prevent Cancer Foundation® and New Tang Dynasty Television for their meaningful work in the Asian-American community. Medical experts from the Mount Sinai Hospital and Bellevue Hospital Center presented information on HPV, hepatitis B, hepatitis C and cancer. Free hepatitis B, blood glucose, blood pressure and vision screenings were offered to attendees.
Los Angeles, Calif.
Think About the Link® hosted a booth at the 2017 Taste of Soul Family Festival in Los Angeles, California on October 21. The Taste of Soul is the largest free street festival in Southern California, attracting more than 350,000 people with a dedicated focus on the African-American population. The campaign’s booth offered a variety of health education materials, activities and prizes for festival attendees. More than 2,000 people visited the Prevent Cancer Foundation® booth to learn about viruses that can cause cancer.
San Francisco, Calif.
On September 15, Think About the Link®, San Francisco Hep B Free and the San Francisco Immunization Coalition hosted the “Vaccine Preventable Cancer Summit on Hepatitis B and HPV” in San Francisco, California. At the summit experts examined the best practices for navigating political, communal and familial concerns to improve vaccination rates within California. State Board of Equalization Member Fiona Ma shared her story of living with chronic hepatitis B and emphasized the importance of using vaccines for cancer prevention.
San Diego, Calif.
Healthy San Diego – Health Education & Culture/Linguistics Workgroup and Think About the Link® partnered to provide an educational summit on Thursday, August 17 in San Diego, California. More than 90 health care professionals including physicians, nurses and medical assistants, gathered to learn practical tactics to discussing the HPV vaccine with parents. Dr. Mark Sawyer, a pediatric infectious disease specialist, identified barriers to health care providers strongly recommending the HPV vaccine to parents of young children and offered real-world applications to addressing those barriers. Campaign spokesperson, actress and cervical cancer survivor Marissa Jaret Winokur gave a heartfelt keynote address detailing her journey with cervical cancer and perspective on the importance of the HPV vaccine as a parent.
Norton, Va.
In partnership with the College of American Pathologists, Wellmont Health System and Mountain States Health Alliance, Think About the Link® hosted a See, Test, & Treat cervical and breast cancer screening event in Norton, Virginia on August 5. A team of more than 20 pathologists, gynecologists, oncologists, family medicine physicians, general surgeons and nurses volunteered to aid the medically underserved community in rural Appalachia. Forty-four women and their family members attended the event and received a wealth of information about cancer prevention and treatment. Along with routine Pap tests, HPV tests and mammograms, medical professionals provided other health services, including screenings for hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidemia (high cholesterol), bone density and skin cancer.
Nashville, Tenn.
On July 20, Think About the Link® traveled to Nashville to co-sponsor the Tennessee Cancer Consortium Conference with Vanderbilt Ingram Cancer Center. The morning session included a panel of experts from Vanderbilt University Medical Center who presented on topics including HPV-related cancer disparities in the Southeast region, doctor-patient vaccine communication strategies and screening tactics for oropharyngeal cancer. Campaign spokesperson Marissa Jaret Winokur served as the keynote and shared her personal story about battling cervical cancer and the importance of increasing awareness of the link between HPV and cancer. The Conference brought together volunteers from the state’s cancer community to discuss issues, share ideas and focus on transforming the latest knowledge into strategies that communities, institutions, businesses and individuals can employ to reduce the cancer burden. Watch the Facebook Live Stream recording of Marissa’s heartfelt keynote address.
Arcadia, Calif.
On July 8, Think About the Link®, in partnership with New Tang Dynasty Television, hosted an Asian Community Health Fair in Arcadia, California. More than 20 health-related vendors, insurance companies and service organizations provided in-language resources and services to more than 400 Asian-American community members. Medical experts from the UCLA Cedars Sinai Medical Center presented information on HPV, hepatitis B, hepatitis C and cancer. Free hepatitis B, hepatitis C, blood glucose, blood pressure and dental screenings were offered to visitors.
Houston, Texas
Think About the Link® and New Tang Dynasty Television hosted an Asian Community Health Fair at the Chinese Community Center on Saturday, June 24. More than 30 local health vendors provided information and services to more than 200 Houston Chinatown community members. Local politicians, including Texas Representative Shawn Theirry and Houston City Councilman Steve Le, attended in recognition of the in-culture health services Think About the Link® and New Tang Dynasty Television have offered. Two medical providers from MD Anderson Cancer Center presented information on HPV, hepatitis B, hepatitis C and associated cancers. Furthermore, Kara Million, a cervical cancer survivor, shared her story to encourage people to get the HPV vaccine.
Los Angeles, Calif.
Think About the Link® hosted a health education booth at the Los Angeles Juneteenth Festival on June 17-18 at Leimert Park Village. Juneteenth is an American holiday commemorating the announcement of the abolition of slavery in Texas on June 19, 1865. More than 250 people visited the booth to discuss how HPV, hepatitis B, hepatitis C and their related-cancers impact the African-American community. Many of them were shocked to learn hepatitis C can lead to liver cancer and did not know much about HPV at all. We partnered with Hep B Free Los Angeles to provide free hepatitis B and hepatitis C screenings for attendees.
Dallas, Texas
On May 20, Think About the Link® partnered with UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas County Health and Human Services and UNT Health Science Center for an engaging educational summit on the human papillomavirus (HPV), hepatitis B, hepatitis C and their link to cancer. Local doctors, researchers and health advocates gave presentations on the best practices for screening and treatment of populations most vulnerable to infection. The following day, Think About the Link® worked with the Dallas Fort-Worth Hep B Free to provide free hepatitis B and hepatitis C screenings at the Dao Quang Temple in Garland.
Watch the recap video from our Dallas educational summit and screening event.
Philadelphia, Pa.
Think About the Link® visited Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on May 19 in partnership with Hep B United Philly, the Hepatitis B Foundation and Hepatitis C Allies of Philadelphia (HepCAP) for an educational summit on advocacy and policy efforts related to hepatitis B and hepatitis C and their link to liver cancer. Local medical professionals, including Acting Deputy Health Commissioner Dr. Caroline Johnson and Thomas Jefferson University professor Dr. Edith Mitchell, commemorated the community’s efforts to raise awareness of the viruses and increase access to community screening events. City Councilman David Oh presented a proclamation to address the viral hepatitis epidemic in Philadelphia. Free hepatitis B screenings were offered to the community at the African Family Health Organization (AFAHO) the following day.
Chicago, Ill.
On April 15, Think About the Link® and New Tang Dynasty Television hosted an Asian Community Health Fair in Chinatown Chicago. More than 100 Asian-Americans attended the event to learn how the hepatitis B and hepatitis C viruses impact their community. Professors from the University of Chicago Medicine gave presentations on HPV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C that led to an engaging Q&A session for the audience. Local health organizations also provided information and resources, as well as hepatitis C, blood glucose, blood pressure and Chakra health screenings.
2016 Events
Philadelphia, Pa.
On October 20th, the Foundation partnered with Hepatitis Foundation International to educate Philadelphians about the link between viral hepatitis and liver cancer. Event speakers included representation from the local health department and featured more than 10 vendors providing free information to attendees. Free HIV and hepatitis C screenings were offered.
Queens, N.Y.
On October 8th, the Foundation and New Tang Dynasty partnered for an event to raise awareness of the link between viruses and cancer in the local Asian community. At the event, Dr. Myron Schwartz (The Mount Sinai Medical Center) and Dr. Mei R. Fu (New York University) taught more than 350 people about HPV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C. State Senators Tony Avella and Toby Ann Staviski gave special remarks at the event. More than 15 vendors also were on-site to provide free viral hepatitis screenings, health exams, dental exams and more for the community. Data showed that after the event, attendees better understood the risk factors for all three viruses.
Harlem, N.Y.
On July 25th, the Foundation partnered with the Coalition on Positive Health Empowerment (C.O.P.E.) and the Hepatitis C Mentor and Support group to host a Day of Action: Think About the Link® – Understanding the Link Between Hepatitis C and Liver Cancer. The event included an educational awareness summit to inform African-American and Hispanic groups on the link between hepatitis C and liver cancer, as well as free virus screenings. Guest speakers included Carolyn Aldigé (Prevent Cancer Foundation), Council Member Inez Dickens and Gloria Searson (C.O.P.E). More than 75 people were screened for hepatitis C at the event.
San Francisco, Calif.
On July 28th, the Foundation partnered with Hep B Free and the San Francisco Department of Health to host the Think About the Link® City Hall Press Briefing: Shining a Light on the Link Between Viral Hepatitis & Liver Cancer. This press briefing featured remarks from Barbara A. Garcia (Director of Health, San Francisco Department of Public Health) and Dr. Tung Nguyen (Chair of the President’s Advisory Commission on Asian American and Pacific Islanders). At sunset, we illuminated San Francisco City Hall in the colors to represent hepatitis B and C awareness. Free hepatitis B and C screenings were offered to the local community at the Adult Immunization Travel Clinic.
Houston, Texas
On June 17th, the Foundation and local partners hosted an educational summit focused on HPV, hepatitis B, hepatitis C and related cancers. Speakers shared the latest facts and best practices for screenings, vaccinations, and/or treatment of these viruses. Panelists included State Representative Sarah Davis (awardee), as well as patient advocates and leading experts from MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston Health Department, Harris County Public Health and Environmental Services and more! The following day, the Foundation and local partners provided free or low-cost hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HPV screenings and vaccinations to more than 75 people at locations across the city.
Chicago, Ill.
On June 11th, the Foundation, Caring Ambassadors, and The Center partnered to provide free hepatitis C screenings to the public.
Philadelphia, Pa.
On May 19th, to commemorate National Hepatitis Testing Day, Think About the Link® held an event at Philadelphia City Hall in partnership with the Hepatitis B Foundation and Hepatitis C Allies of Philadelphia to highlight the link between viral hepatitis and liver cancer. Download the full agenda. Watch clips from the event:
Video credit: Ginny Robison, Philadelphia Department of Public Health
Interested in partnering with the Think About the Link® campaign in order to plan and host a public outreach event? Contact Diane Tilton, Director of Education Marketing.
