Gold's Gym Project / Stop Hep (completed)

The Gold's Gym Project, also known as stophep took place in 2002. Below is a summary of the project.

Background

The incidence of hepatitis A & B in San Francisco is much higher than the national average with the majority of cases occurring among men who have sex with men (MSM), where vaccination coverage has been historically low (less than 16% for hepatitis A, less than 20% for hepatitis B). (Anonymous and Confidential HIV testing sites, 2001)

Objectives

• To create a convenient, affordable non-traditional site for vaccination.
• To assess the ongoing need for a non-traditional vaccination site targeting MSM.

• To provide hepatitis education and awareness in a community setting.

What we offered

Hepatitis vaccination at Gold's Gym in the Castro District. Open 4pm - 7pm, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 5/22 - 11/21/02 to everyone 18 and older. Charged $15 per shot for Hep A, $20 for Hep B and $30 for the combined A & B vaccine.

Results

There were 347 clients who received 552 shots (one every 17 minutes), 19% (104) Hep A shots, 24% (134) Hep B shots, 57% (314) Combined A & B shots. A total of 216 clients self-identified as MSM (median age 39) on the confidential survey. The following reflects information specific to the MSM clients.

• 77% (167) came due to convenience, 45% (98) came due to affordability.
• 77% (167) had some form of private insurance.
• 76% (164) had private doctors; 11% (23) were Kaiser members.
• 81% (175) had not gone to their primary care providers for hepatitis shots primarily because they did not know they needed them or felt they were too expensive.
• 40% (87) had asked their primary care providers about hepatitis shots, while only 26% (57) had been asked about the shots by their provider.
• 67% (145) said their primary care providers knew their sexual orientation.

Additional Discoveries

Of the 145 MSM who were out to their doctors, 120 of those doctors were private physicians and only 40% (49) had ever asked their patients about hepatitis shots.

• 35 MSM said they had not received shots because they did not know they needed them, 49% (17) of these men were out to their doctors.

• 63 MSM said that they were out to their doctors and had sex with more than one partner in a 6-month period. Of those, 76% (48) had not received hepatitis shots from their primary care providers.

Next Steps

• Increase provider education, including grand rounds.
• Address special minority groups - Asian/Pacific Islanders, Hispanics.
• Continue and expand existing hepatitis prevention programs.
• Create sustainable non-traditional vaccination site in community.