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2021 VIRAL HEPATITIS POLICY SUMMIT & HILL DAY

Cross-posted from nvhr.org
NVHR joined our partners at NASTAD, Hepatitis B Foundation, and Hep B United to host a virtual Viral Hepatitis Policy Summit and Hill Day on February 17 & 18. The virtual event was an opportunity for advocates and federal partners to share information and engage in discussion about strategies and priorities at the federal level to eliminate viral hepatitis.

Over 100 advocates from around the country participated in the Viral Hepatitis Policy Summit, making it the largest one ever. The advocates heard from and engaged with CDC & HHS officials on a range of topics, including viral hepatitis elimination planning, health equity, strategies to expand hepatitis B & C testing and hepatitis A & B vaccination, the impact of COVID-19, scaling up comprehensive harm reduction and syringe services programs (SSPs) for people who inject drugs, and the importance of robust funding.

Several advocacy priorities surfaced during the summit. Advocates highlighted the importance of moving towards universal hepatitis B testing and vaccination; addressing Medicaid barriers and restrictions to treatment and access to care; advancing innovative viral hepatitis testing technologies; addressing stigma and discrimination; supporting people who use drugs; and maintaining a strong health equity lens in our goals and messaging.

Continue reading 2021 VIRAL HEPATITIS POLICY SUMMIT & HILL DAY →

Uniting to Eliminate Hepatitis B in the United States

Cross-posted from HHS.gov Hepatitis Blog
While the United States is taking action to address recent spikes in acute viral hepatitis infections around the country, we must not forget the more than 2 million Americans living with chronic hepatitis B, over half unaware of their infection and at risk of developing liver disease, including liver cancer. Communities at risk of chronic hepatitis B infection are often the most vulnerable and face barriers to health care access including language, cultural, transportation, housing, and other social resource needs. There is a lot to learn from partners across the nation that can be useful when adapted to other communities.

What is Hep B United?
Recognizing the gaps in coordinated hepatitis B education, prevention, and linkage to care efforts, the Hep B United coalition was established in 2011 by the Hepatitis B Foundation and the Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organizations (AAPCHO) to provide a community network for sharing best practices, resources, and capacity building. Hep B United is a national coalition of over 40 national and community-based hepatitis B organizations in 31 cities, 21 states and the District of Columbia. The coalition is dedicated to reducing the health disparities associated with hepatitis B by increasing awareness, screening, vaccination, and linkage to care for high-risk communities.

How is Hep B United working toward hepatitis elimination?
From Mississippi to Ohio to California, local community coalitions  comprised of health and social service organizations, local businesses, academic research institutions, federally qualified health centers, local and state health departments, student organizations, and others are working to:

  • “find the missing millions” living with chronic hepatitis B in the United States;
  • ensure that they are able to access sustainable medical care for their hepatitis B; and
  • prevent the next generations from becoming infected.

Continue reading Uniting to Eliminate Hepatitis B in the United States →

CDC, Hepatitis B Foundation, and CHIPO Release New African Know Hepatitis B Materials

In the U.S., African immigrants are disproportionately impacted by hepatitis B, with 5 to 18 percent of African immigrants estimated to be living with chronic hepatitis B and at increased risk of liver disease, liver cancer, and death.

As an extension of the Know Hepatitis B Campaign, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in partnership with the Hepatitis B Foundation and the Coalition Against Hepatitis for People of African Origin (CHIPO) has released new educational materials focused on African immigrant communities.

Resources include a digital self-guided PowerPoint for community health workers; a printable flipchart for face-to-face community education; informational fact sheets; resources for locating hepatitis B testing; and a digital resource toolkit featuring #justB storytelling videos.

Access the materials here.

Improving Diversity in Clinical Trials for Hepatitis B Treatments

Join Hep B United on Wednesday, March 11th at 3:00 PM EST for a webinar to discuss why representation, including of persons living with hepatitis B, is essential to research, and communication and outreach strategies to improve diversity in clinical trials! Christine Lee, PharmaD, PhD, from the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) will be providing an overview of clinical trials recruitment and strategies to improve participation and Rhea Racho, MPAff, will discuss the Hepatitis B Foundation’s participation in the National Institute of Health’s All of Us Research Program and how the program is working to make medical research more inclusive.

Register here.

Hepatitis Delta Treatment Endpoints: How Do We Measure Success in the Era of Emerging Therapies?

Join us on January 29, 2020 at 11:00 AM EST for a webinar on Hepatitis Delta Treatment Endpoints: How Do We Measure Success in the Era of Emerging Therapies?

Hepatitis delta, a dangerous coinfection of hepatitis B, is estimated to affect between 15 and 70 million people across the world. For decades, the only treatment option has been pegylated interferon; an often difficult drug to tolerate with only a small chance of controlling liver disease. With many new drugs now in clinical trials for hepatitis delta, we must ask, what does successful treatment look like?

  • How can we measure success?
  • What does it mean to control hepatitis delta?
  • Is a cure for hepatitis B the only ideal endpoint of treatment?

Join hepatitis delta expert, Dr. Ohad Etzion, as he outlines the challenges in controlling the disease, current clinical trials, and explores ideal endpoints for treatment and control of hepatitis B and delta coinfection.

Register here.

New Webinar: Hepatitis B Testing and Vaccination Programs in Correctional Facilities

Please join NASTAD’s Hepatitis Testing Partnership and Hep B United on November 12, 2019 at 2:00 PM EST for a webinar to discuss efforts to increase hepatitis B testing and vaccination in correctional facilities.

In the U.S., rates of acute hepatitis B infection among adults are on the rise in many states as a consequence of the opioid crisis. Individuals at risk for hepatitis B infection and recommended for hepatitis B testing include injection-drug users, persons infected with HIV, and persons born in geographic regions with a hepatitis B prevalence of >2%, among others.

Incarcerated persons often have a disproportionate burden of infectious diseases, including hepatitis B infection. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommends universal hepatitis B vaccination of adults in high-risk settings including correctional facilities. In this webinar, panelists will share efforts to increase hepatitis B testing and vaccination in state jails and prisons in Maine, Oregon, and Tennessee.

Register here. 

Speakers:
Jeff Caulfield, MPH, Viral Hepatitis Prevention Coordinator, Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention

Rebecca Lakey, RNI Viral Hepatitis Prevention Program, East Tennessee Regional Health Office, Tennessee Department of Health

Judith Leahy, MPH, Viral Hepatitis Coordinator, Public Health Division, Oregon Health Authority

Ann A. Chakwin, PhD, Health Promotion Program Coordinator, Oregon Department of Corrections

Join the Conversation on Liver Cancer Drivers and Disparities!

Please join the Global Liver Institute, American Gastroenterological Association, Hepatitis B Foundation, Hep B United, NASH kNOWledge, AAPCHO, NVHR, and NASTAD as they host a Congressional briefing titled, “Liver Cancer Drivers and Disparities.” The briefing will be held on Thursday, October 31st, from 10:30am to 12:00pm in Washington, DC (121 Cannon House Office Building).

Learn from our nation’s leading clinicians and patient advocates about the steps needed to combat the most rapidly rising cancer since 1980, and how response strategies must begin with modernizing the systems in place to better meet the needs of impacted populations.

Join the conversation on Facebook Live at www.facebook.com/hepbfoundation  on October 31, 2019 at 10:30 am Eastern Time.

Opening Remarks:
Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez (NY)

Moderator:
Donna Cryer, JD, President & CEO, Global Liver Institute (GLI), Washington, DC

Panelists:

  • Tony Villiotti, President, NASH kNOWledge, GLI A3 Patient Advocate, Pittsburgh, PA
  • Dr. Richard Sterling, MD, MSc, FACP, FACG, AGAF, FAASLD, VCU Hepatology Professor of Medicine, Chief, Section of Hepatology, Director, Viral Hepatitis, Medical Director, Department of Internal Medicine, VCU Medical School, AGA, Richmond, VA
  • Valerie Green, NVHR Patient Advocate, Lancaster, VA
  • Dr. John Groopman, PhD, Anna M. Baetjer Professor & Associate Director for Population Sciences, Joint Appointment in Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Baltimore, MD

Webinar: National and State Initiatives to Prevent Hepatitis B and Liver Cancer

October is Liver Cancer Awareness Month! Did you know that in the U.S., the rates of liver cancer incidence and deaths are increasing while most other cancer rates have declined or stabilized? Please join Hep B United on October 21, 2019 at 1:00 PM EDT for a webinar to discuss the link between hepatitis B and liver cancer.

In the U.S., up to 2.2 million people are living with chronic hepatitis B infection, only 25 percent are aware of their infection, and less than 10 percent of infected individuals are able to access care and receive treatment. Left untreated, hepatitis B can lead to premature death from liver cancer or liver failure. Panelists will discuss liver cancer and its risk factors, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) National Comprehensive Cancer Control Program, and promising state-based initiatives and strategies for liver cancer prevention, including hepatitis B vaccination awareness and provider education activities.

Register here.

Speakers:

Behnoosh Momin, DrPH, MS, MPH, Health Scientist, CDC Division of Cancer Prevention and Control

Charlene Cariou, MHS, CPH, CHES, Health Program Manager, Comprehensive Cancer Control, Division of Public Health, Idaho Department of Health and Welfare

Jacki Chen, #justB Storyteller and Patient Advocate

Hepatitis B Leaders Mark World Hepatitis Day with Pledge to Find the Missing Millions

Hep B United National Coalition Convenes in Washington DC for 7th Annual Summit

WASHINGTON, D.C. (July 2019) –Hep B United, a national coalition established by the Hepatitis B Foundation (HBF) and the Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organizations (AAPCHO) to address the silent epidemic of hepatitis B, will host its seventh annual summit in Washington, D.C., July 23rd to 25th. The summit brings together over 100 community leaders, advocates, and people with hepatitis B to promote screening and prevention strategies and advocate for equitable access to health care to further its mission to eliminate hepatitis B in the United States. Worldwide, nearly two-thirds of those infected with hepatitis B- over 200 million people- are unaware of that they are infected. Summit attendees will address ways to identify those “missing millions” who do not yet know that they are living with this often-silent disease.

Hepatitis B is caused by a virus and is the world’s most common, serious liver infection. It is also the deadliest vaccine-preventable disease, with nearly 1 million people dying each year from hepatitis B-related disease worldwide. In the United States, up to 2.2 million Americans are chronically infected with hepatitis B, yet most do not know it. Without early diagnosis and intervention, one in four people living with hepatitis B will die prematurely from liver failure or liver cancer.

“We can save millions of lives in the U.S. and worldwide by using the tools we have and building much-needed infrastructure to prevent, diagnose and treat hepatitis B,” said Chari Cohen, DrPH, MPH, senior vice president of the Hepatitis B Foundation and co-chair of Hep B United. “The annual Hep B United Summit brings our partners together to share best practices and develop strategies for the coming year to increase national attention and resources to address the epidemic of hepatitis B.”

The Hep B United summit is the largest convening of hepatitis B leaders from community coalitions, national nonprofit organizations, individuals and family members affected by hepatitis B, and public health agencies in the United States. Hep B United is comprised of more than 40 community coalitions across the country located in 29 cities, 20 states, and Washington, D.C. The summit is part of global events to mark World Hepatitis Day, observed each year on July 28th, the birthday of Dr. Baruch Blumberg, Nobel Laureate who discovered the hepatitis B virus and developed the first vaccine. The summit’s theme, “Eliminating Hepatitis B: Local Change, Global Impact,” includes sessions that share innovative local, national, and global programs to prevent, diagnose and treat hepatitis B. The summit will also feature #justB, Hepatitis B Foundation’s national storytelling campaign that tells the personal stories of people affected by hepatitis B to increase public awareness and combat stigma and discrimination.

Continue reading Hepatitis B Leaders Mark World Hepatitis Day with Pledge to Find the Missing Millions →