Dear Hepatitis Education Project supporter,

Dear Hepatitis Education Project supporter,



On behalf of the Hepatitis C Appropriations Partnership, HEP would like to encourage our membership to take action by calling your Member of Congress in the U.S. House of Representatives and encouraging him or her to sign a Letter In Support of Increased Viral Hepatitis Prevention Funding by Friday, February 5th.



Background

Representative Hank Johnson (D-GA), who has recently gone public with his hepatitis C status, and Charlie Dent (R-PA) have sent a “Dear Colleague” letter to every Member of the House asking them to sign onto a letter to the House Appropriations Committee in support of increased funding for the viral hepatitis prevention program at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The letter is attached.

Action

Congressional staff have told us that any increase hinges upon Members of Congress hearing directly from constituents now on why increased funding is needed.

It is urgent that your calls be made immediately. Please call your Representative’s Washington , DC office. Ask to speak to the staff person who handles health issues. You can call your Representative at 202.225.3121. You will get the Capitol switchboard. Ask to be connected to your Representative’s office. If you don’t know who your Representative is, you can find your Member of Congress online by going here: http://house.gov/





Whether you speak to this person directly or leave a message, tell them:



“My name is and I’m a constituent of Representative . I am calling to urge Representative to sign on to a Dear Colleague funding letter supporting increased funding for viral hepatitis prevention at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The funding letter is being circulated by Reps. Hank Johnson and Charlie Dent. Hepatitis B and C affect over 5 million Americans and is the leading cause of liver cancer, one of the most deadly, expensive, and fastest growing killers of Americans every year, and the leading cause of liver transplants each year. Money for prevention of hepatitis B and C is critical to providing a public health response like we have for other infectious diseases. This includes public education, counseling, testing, and referral into care. This is important to me personally because________”



Thanks for taking the time to make this important phone call; and don’t hesitate to contact us with any questions.





Sincerely,





Michael Ninburg

Executive Director

Hepatitis Education Project



911 Western Ave. #302 ● Seattle , WA 98104 ● 206-732-0311 ● 206-732-0312 (fax) ● www.hepeducation.org

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Information given by the Hepatitis Education Project is not a substitute for advice given by your physician or health care provider. We do not endorse any doctor, hospital, medical group, or treatment.