Important National Viral Hepatitis Advocacy - Call to Action! - from NASTAD and HepCUnited

Important National Viral Hepatitis Advocacy - Call to Action! - from NASTAD and HepCUnited

* Friday is the deadline for House Representatives to sign the “Dear Colleague” letter authored by Reps. Johnson and Dent that calls for increased funding for viral hepatitis programs at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the Fiscal Year 2011 appropriations bill.
* Congressional staff said that any increase depends 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. If you don’t know who your Representative is, you can go online to www.house.gov to determine your Member of Congress.
* See full info and call script below



Please register now, the bus is filling up!

* March 3rd HCV Advocacy Trip to Albany! “If we don’t educate our elected officials and policy makers, who will?” A fun and high impact group advocacy trip to the Albany offices of key elected officials.
o Trip is open to all types of HCV advocates. Training and support will be provided.
o Free Bus service from Manhattan and Lunch will be provided.
o Register now with NYS HCV Advocacy leader Shari Foster of Status C Unknown! (631) 776-8095 or toll free (866) 466-5086



Interested in getting involved and learning more about the HCV advocacy movement? Join the HCV Task Force Advocacy Subcommittee, which will provide advocacy skills education, group activities and initiatives.



* Next HCV Advocacy Subcommittee Meeting. February 11th (10 -12). Harm Reduction Coalition, 22 W. 27th Street , 5th Floor, New York . All people interested in HCV advocacy are encouraged to get involved. To join: njohnso2@health.nyc.gov.



Nirah Johnson, LMSW, NYC DOHMH, Office of Viral Hepatitis Coordination

(212) 341-0432 ~ njohnso2@health.nyc.gov

Dear Hepatitis C Advocates UNITED!



A reminder that Friday is the deadline for House Representatives to sign the “Dear Colleague” letter authored by Reps. Johnson and Dent that calls for increased funding for viral hepatitis programs at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the Fiscal Year 2011 appropriations bill. As you know, President Obama has called for a $1.8 million increase. While this is much better than his request last year, it is far short of what is needed. So we must tell Congress that we need a substantial increase to address the hepatitis B and C epidemics. The Institutes of Medicine report couldn’t be more clear – the federal government has failed to address these epidemics and it is causing 15,000 deaths per year that could be avoided.



As of this morning, only 9 Representatives have signed the letter (see list below). This is unacceptable. Our Reps need to hear from us today so they know their constituents are paying attention to this issue and expect them to sign the letter.



If you have not made your call yet, please do so today! It takes a few minutes. If you have already called, make another call and ask if the Representative has made a decision about signing. We must keep up the pressure. Scroll down to find talking points and contact information. If you need any help, please contact me or Colin.



Thanks!

Ryan



Current signers:

* Leonard Lance (R-NJ)
* Judy Chu (D-CA)
* Raul M. Grijalva (D-AZ)
* Steven R. Rothman (D-NJ)
* John Conyers (D-MI)
* Anh “Joseph” Cao (R-LA)
* Donna Christensen ( D-Virgin Islands )
* Ed Towns (D-NY)
* Donna F. Edwards (D-MD)



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TAKE ACTION



Call your Member in the House of Representatives to Sign Letter In Support of Increased

Viral Hepatitis Prevention Funding



Deadline: February 5



Background

Representatives Hank Johnson (GA), who has recently gone public with his hepatitis C status, and Charlie Dent (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 more Members of the House that sign on to the letter, the better chance viral hepatitis will receive increased funding. A copy of the letter is attached and below.

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 go online to www.house.gov to determine your Member of Congress.



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________”



If you have any questions, please contact Colin Schwartz or Ryan Clary.



Thanks for taking the time to make these important phone calls!





Colin



Colin Schwartz, Associate, Viral Hepatitis/Government Relations

National Alliance of State & Territorial AIDS Directors

444 North Capitol Street NW, Suite 339

Washington, DC 20001

Phone: (202) 434-8005 Fax: (202) 434-8092

cschwartz@NASTAD.org www.NASTAD.org



"Bridging Science, Policy, and Public Health"



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From: e-Dear Colleague
Subject: Appropriations: Dear Colleague: Support Increased Funding for Viral Hepatitis Prevention Program


Support Increased Funding for Viral Hepatitis Prevention Program

Deadline Friday, February 5, 2010



Dear Colleague:



Please join us in urging strong support for the viral hepatitis prevention program at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the Fiscal Year 2011 Labor, Health and Human Services Appropriations bill. The attached letter supports increased funding for core prevention services that include hepatitis B and C education, counseling, testing, and referral to care, in addition to delivery of hepatitis A and B vaccines, and establishing a national surveillance system for chronic hepatitis B and C. This increase in funding is critical in developing the comprehensive viral hepatitis program required to prevent new infections and control the spiraling costs of chronic infections.



Nearly 5.3 million Americans are infected with chronic hepatitis B and C and most of them do not know it. Hepatitis B and C silently attack the liver and are a leading cause of liver cancer: one of the most lethal, expensive and fastest growing cancers in America . In 2007 alone, the CDC estimated that 43,000 Americans were newly infected with hepatitis B and 17,000 with hepatitis C, and the diseases combined cause at least 15,000 deaths each year. It is also a leading cause of death in persons living with HIV. Nearly 25 percent of HIV-positive Americans are co-infected with hepatitis C and nearly 10 percent with hepatitis B.



In FY2010, the Division of Viral Hepatitis (DVH) at CDC received only $19.3 million: the only dedicated federal funding to address viral hepatitis. States receive an average award of approximately $90,000 per state for the Adult Viral Hepatitis Prevention Coordinator program. This funding does not allow for the provision of core prevention services. Counseling, testing and linkages to care are essential to identify the two-thirds of Americans that are infected with viral hepatitis who don’t know it and allow them to take steps to prevent further infections and get care to stem the progression of liver disease.



Please join us in requesting $50 million for viral hepatitis prevention at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. We need you to not only sign this letter but to make a request for DVH funding as part of your FY2011 program requests submitted to the Labor-HHS-Education Committee. If you would like to sign the letter, or have any questions, please contact either Scott Goldstein at scott.goldstein@mail.house.gov or 5-1605 (Rep. Johnson) or Laura Stevens Kent at laura.stevens@mail.house.gov or 5-6411 (Rep. Dent).



Sincerely,





/s/ /s/

Hank Johnson Charlie Dent

Member of Congress Member of Congress







The Honorable David R. Obey The Honorable Todd Tiahrt

Chairman Ranking Member

Subcommittee on Labor-HHS-Education Subcommittee on Labor-HHS-Education

House Appropriations Committee House Appropriations Committee

2358-8 Rayburn House Office Building 1016 Longworth House Office Building

Washington , DC 20515 Washington , DC 20515



SUBJECT: FY2011 CDC Viral Hepatitis Prevention Program Funding



Dear Chairman Obey and Ranking Member Tiahrt:



We write to respectfully request that you provide $50 million for viral hepatitis prevention at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the FY2011 Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations bill. This funding would allow for the provision of core prevention services that include hepatitis B and C education, counseling, testing, referral to care, delivery of hepatitis A and B vaccines, and establishing a national surveillance system for chronic hepatitis B and C, which are currently not supported by the federal government. In FY2010, the Division of Viral Hepatitis (DVH) at CDC received$19.3 million: the only dedicated federal funding to address viral hepatitis. This amount does not allow for the provision of core prevention services. We appreciate the Committee’s past support for viral hepatitis prevention and strongly encourage you to increase the commitment this year.



Nearly 5.3 million Americans are infected with viral hepatitis – roughly six times the number of Americans with HIV – and most of them do not know it. Viral hepatitis causes at least 15,000 deaths each year and is a leading cause of liver cancer, one of the most lethal, expensive and fastest growing cancers in America . It is also a leading cause of death in Americans living with HIV - nearly 25 percent of HIV-positive Americans are also infected with hepatitis C and nearly 10 percent with hepatitis B. In 2007 alone, the CDC estimated that 43,000 Americans were newly infected with hepatitis B and 17,000 with hepatitis C.



An increased investment in viral hepatitis prevention at the CDC will lead to decreased health care costs for chronic viral hepatitis. The total cost of treatment of hepatitis B is approximately $2.5 billion and hepatitis C costs are expected to increase from $30 billion to over $85 billion in 2024, as baby boomers continue to age into Medicare and are likely to develop complications from hepatitis C, requiring expensive medical interventions.



These epidemics are particularly alarming given rising incidence rates and high prevalence rates among disproportionately impacted racial and ethnic populations. It is estimated that one in ten Asian Americans are chronically infected with hepatitis B, especially those from high endemic countries (Asia and sub-Saharan Africa ). African Americans are two to three times more likely to be infected with hepatitis C than Caucasian Americans. Further, the baby boomer population currently accounts for two out of every three cases of chronic hepatitis C.



We urge you to provide $50 million for the viral hepatitis prevention program at CDC in fiscal year 2011. Thank you for your attention to our concerns, and we look forward to working with you to advance programs for the prevention of these high-cost, chronic infectious diseases.



Sincerely,