Philippine Asian News Today Vol 20 No 07 | Page 3

April 1 - 15, 2018 PHILIPPINE ASIAN NEWS TODAY  Lawyers in Family Law and Personal Injury Need Help with your Family Law Matter? Call 604.608.2036 for a consultation. Reasonable hourly rates and a 15% discount if you reference this ad. “Care and Commitment” is our motto. harrisbrun.com HEATHER MATHISON MAE CORRALES NICHOLLS Experienced Lawyer in both Family Law and Injury related claims. Paralegal fluent in English, Tagalog and Kapampangan. We can also help you in French, Cantonese and Farsi. Canadian Liver Foundation Will Hold Free Screening The Canadian Liver Foundation of BC (CLF) will hold a free screening for Hepa- titis B for all Canadians with Filipino and Chinese descent.The CLF is sponsoring a forum and free screening in April and May. The forum features doctors and medical practitioners in the field of liver diseases to inform the public about the dangers of Hepatitis B and C and how a simple screening can help manage symp- toms. There will also be a forum for the future of liver transplants, chronic pan- creatitis, and primary billary cholangitis (formerly known as liver cirrhosis) A di- etitian will also discuss healthy diet for people with Hepatitis, Fatty Liver disease, which is prevalent in Filipinos, as well as managing Diabetes and other illnesses of the kidneys and liver. There will also be a forum on the BC Drug Benefit Program and how you can avail of the medication for treating Hepatitis B, as MSP does not cover Hep B screening. In an interview with CLF President Dr. Francis Ho, BC Chapter Head of the CLF, he said that the Hepatitis B is hy- per-endemic in the Philippines with a rate of 16.7% in the adult population over age 20 and due to the fact that although an immunization program was introduced in 1992 universal vaccination has not been achieved. “The Filipinos and Chinese have the highest rate of Hep B in Asia, and so we want to make sure this is addressed.” Dr. Ho also said that the government MSP does not cover Hep B screening. The Canadian Liver Foundation, with their physician leads in this campaign, Dr. Francis Ho, Dr. Peter Kwan and Dr. Eric Yoshida, have the goal of spreading the word about Hepatitis B specifically to the Chinese and Filipino people as three quarters of the 240-400 million carriers of Hepatitis B reside in Asia/Southeast Asia. Hepatitis B is a ‘silent killer’. It is a major health issue among Chinese and the Filipino. The disease does not exhibit any signs or symptoms for up to 20-30 years. When Hepatitis B is left untreated, it can lead to liver failure, liver cancer and death. The Hep B campaign offers free blood screening. Its purpose is to investigate the prevalence of Hepatitis B Carriers who are unaware of their carrier status in Greater Vancouver and to promote early diagnosis which will lead to early treatment thereby saving lives. Participants consenting to have their blood drawn will be contacted if their re- sults test positive indicating that they are a hepatitis B carrier. By doing a simple blood test, an individual will know right away whether they are a Hepatitis B car- rier. The individual will then be contacted and asked to see their doctor for imme- diate follow up. On April 21, the fo- rum and free screen- ing through blood test will be held from 1-5 PM at the Broadway Church, 2700 East Broadway. The first 1,000 will be free, provided by a gener- ous donor. MSP does not cover the $40 screening, so call and book your screen- ing now. This is especially for those who already have been tested or had any Hep- atitis episodes in the past, as well as any kidney and liver infections, as well as dia- betes, all of which may be connected to diseases of the liver such as Hep B. Please book and call Laarni at 604- 551-3360, Gigi at 604-367-9970 or Demi at 604-324-3255. See poster on PAGE 5. Surrey Mayor Linda Hepner will to make, not but run for re-election people of this City. I sincerely believe that now and the City of Surrey. Surrey Mayor Linda Hepner announced on April 10 that she will not seek a second term in the October 2018 municipal election.  Hepner was a city councillor before she ran and won the 2014 mayoral race in Surrey.  In the 2014 election, Hepner’s Surrey First coalition won every seat on council and school board. Here is the statement issued by Hepner about her decision:   Statement from Mayor Linda Hepner    Surrey– For 33 years the City of Surrey has been a chosen priority in my life and I have been honoured to serve the  Now after this four year term as Mayor, nine years as Councillor and more than two decades as a senior staff member, I have decided not to seek re-election at the end of this Council term.  During my time with Surrey, the City has evolved from a modest suburb into the region’s second metropolitan centre and a globally recognized leading edge city. I am very proud to have contributed to this transformation, but there will always be more to do, more to achieve and, therefore, there is never an ideal time to leave.  I have thought long and hard about this and it has not been an easy decision is the right time to dedicate more time to my family and friends.  I look forward to serving out my term as Mayor as we finalize the largest investment in transportation and housing in the City’s history. In my more than three decades at the City of Surrey, I have had the pleasure to work with remarkable people at all levels and I have made many friends along the way. To all the staff at the City, I want to thank you for the exceptional work you have done and continue to do. Finally, I want to give my heartfelt thanks to the people of Surrey for their ongoing trust and support. It has been an honour and privilege to serve you WWW.PHILIPPINEASIANNEWSTODAY.COM Sincerely, Linda Hepner