BILL ANALYSIS
AB 158
Page 1
Date of Hearing: May 16, 2007
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Mark Leno, Chair
AB 158 ( Ma) - As Amended: May 1, 2007
Policy Committee: Health Vote:12-1
Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program:
Reimbursable:
SUMMARY
This bill requires the California Department of Public Health
(DPH) to establish the Hepatitis B and C Prevention and
Management Pilot Program (Pilot) and appropriates $4 million GF
to implement the Program. Specifically, this bill:
1)Requires DPH to establish the Pilot within the Office of
Multicultural Health to provide program education, outreach,
counseling, and social services to ethnic populations that are
at high risk of hepatitis B infection.
2)Establishes the Hepatitis B and C Prevention and Management
Pilot Program Fund (Fund) and appropriates $4 million GF to
implement specified activities in Los Angeles and the San
Francisco Bay Area, subject to nonprofit and academic programs
in those areas meeting specified financial and subject matter
expertise requirements.
3)Specifies activities supported by the Fund to include existing
and ongoing nonprofit or academic programs addressing
screening to identify chronically infected populations,
education and counseling programs, and training programs for
health professionals.
4)Requires DPH to report to the Legislature by January 1, 2011
on implementation of the Pilot.
FISCAL EFFECT
A GF $4 million appropriation is required to be matched with an
equal amount of nonprofit agency or academic institution funding
AB 158
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for activities specified in this bill.
COMMENTS
1)Rationale . This bill increases the support of specific
nonprofit and academic programs currently conducting Hepatitis
B and C activities focused on Asian communities in Los Angeles
and the San Francisco Bay areas. According to the author, no
such specifically targeted health outreach and prevention
programs are currently funded by the state. The most recent
amendments adopted in the Assembly Health Committee add
Hepatitis C to what formerly focused exclusively on Hepatitis
B. While both diseases may lead to liver disease, Hepatitis B
may be vaccinated against and reflects a much higher rate of
infection among Asian Americans. In contrast, Hepatitis C does
not have a vaccine and is more common among other groups of
people, such injection drug users.
2)Hepatitis B is a highly contagious disease spread from
person-to-person through contaminated food, water, or waste
products and is one of the biggest health threats facing Asian
communities. A person may be infected for several weeks before
symptoms show. Approximately 1.25 million people nationally
have chronic Hepatitis B, which causes inflammation of the
liver and sometimes liver failure. Acute symptoms include
liver inflammation, vomiting, jaundice, and sometimes death.
Hepatitis B disproportionately impacts Asian communities and
is responsible for 80 percent of liver cancers in Asian and
Pacific Islander groups. The Asian Liver Center at Stanford
University estimates that up to 10 percent of Asian Americans
have Hepatitis B and do not know it. Despite the availability
of a Hepatitis B vaccine, immunization rates are low. Most
Hepatitis C infections occur because of blood contact with an
infected person through sharing dirty needles in the context
of intravenous drug use.
Analysis Prepared by : Mary Ader / APPR. / (916) 319-2081