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Oakridge Centre Mall in Vancouver gave HepCBC a remarkable gift, seven straight days of a hepatitis C information booth, January 1 – 7, 2017. Sandwiched in a high-traffic area between the fragrant temptations of St. Germaine’s Bakery and Murchie’s Teas, and using the Generation Hep banners, we were able to attract a broad spectrum of people who wanted to know why we said they were in Generation Hep, and they usually left with a pamphlet or two and a promise to ask their doctor for an HCV screening test at their next exam.
A large proportion of booth visitors selected a pamphlet in Chinese. We estimate the ethnicity of visitors to the mall to be approximately 60-70% East Asian. We had approximately 200 visitors who came up to talk and get a pamphlet. However, at least a few hundred people walked by for every one who stopped, and of those, about a third read our banner with interest. So we know the word is getting out there!
Thanks to Shakuntala Soden, Rosemary Plummer, Leon Anderson, and Cheryl Reitz for being in attendance at this booth! If anyone out there wants to do something similar and needs support, let HepCBC know and we’ll do whatever we can to help.