Letter to the President please sign on

Thursday, March 18, 2010

The President Barack Obama
The White House
Washington, DC 20500

Dear Mr. President:

On behalf of over 200 domestic and global organizations working on the prevention, treatment, care and control of the viral hepatitis epidemics and the over 5 million Americans living with chronic hepatitis B virus or hepatitis C virus, we urge you to officially recognize the month of May as National Hepatitis Awareness Month, recognize May 19, 2010 as World Hepatitis Day, and participate in an awareness raising event sometime during the month of May.

Hepatitis is a public health issue that has worldwide impact and is a significant issue in America affecting Americans from all walks of life. Each year up to 15,000 Americans die from hepatitis B and hepatitis C.

Worldwide, approximately 2 billion people have been infected with the hepatitis B virus and roughly 350 million live with chronic infection. About 3 to 4 million people are newly infected with the hepatitis C virus each year and about 170 million people are living with chronic infection. An estimated 500,000-700,000 persons die each year due to the acute or chronic consequences of the hepatitis B virus and an estimated 350,000 or more die each year due to liver disease from chronic hepatitis C virus infection.

The recently released Institute of Medicine (IOM) report, Hepatitis and Liver Cancer: A National Strategy for Prevention and Control of Hepatitis B and C, found that the American public and health care providers are not adequately educated about the risk of infection, screening recommendations or treatment options and that our current hepatitis prevention efforts are not working. This is not surprising; the continual lack of governmental leadership and dedication of public resources to the prevention and management of these diseases has kept the American public ill-informed and our public health system ill-equipped to manage these burgeoning epidemics. The release of the IOM report presents an opportunity for the President to acknowledge the domestic and global burden of these diseases. Doing so will increase public awareness and bolster political will for an enhanced governmental response here and abroad.

The World Health Organization (WHO) is considering a comprehensive resolution on the prevention and control of hepatitis that also establishes an official World Hepatitis Day at the World Health Assembly meeting held in Geneva, Switzerland this May. We encourage the United States to support this resolution. President Obama’s recognition of hepatitis as a global epidemic will further support this effort and send a strong message to governments around the globe that these diseases that impact over 2 billion people in the world can no longer be ignored. In fact, some countries such as Algeria and the UK have already taken the initiative to issue their own proclamations and have participated in awareness-raising activities as an educational means to combat the disease burden that hepatitis has placed on their systems of government, healthcare, labor and economy. Additionally, the 34 member countries of the WHO Executive Board have agreed to support the resolution. It is important to note that World Hepatitis Day has been marked on May 19th for the last 2 years and will be again this year. However, the proposed WHO resolution on World Hepatitis Day suggests July 28th for 2011 and beyond. This was a last-minute change at the WHO Executive Board meeting in January this year and may well be reversed when the resolution is debated at the World Health Assembly this May.

In the U.S., many health organizations are planning awareness events and activities in May to help educate the American public about hepatitis B and C and urge prevention, testing and treatment. The National Viral Hepatitis Roundtable is sponsoring a rally on May 19 at the Capitol with the theme “This is hepatitis.” At least 250 hepatitis advocates will march to commemorate those who have been lost and to advocate for increased leadership and an improved response from our country’s leaders. We would welcome your participation at the rally or any World Hepatitis Day events by you or a member of your staff. We invite other leadership to participate in these events as well; from Health and Human Services such as Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and Assistant Secretary for Health, Dr. Howard Koh, as well as staff from the Domestic Policy Council such as the Director of the Office of National AIDS Policy, Jeff Crowley, and his staff. All of your participation would bring much needed attention to these epidemics. It is our hope that with your support we can begin to stem the spread of these infections and control these epidemics once and for all.

We look forward to working with the White House, Federal agencies and Congress to continue raising the profile of this important health issue.

Sincerely,


Colin Schwartz Martha Saly Charles Gore
Coordinator Director President
HCAP NVHR World Hepatitis Alliance
A Community Resource Network
AIDS Community Care Team
ADAP Advocacy Association
After Hours Project
AIDS Action Baltimore
AIDS Alabama
AIDS Community Research Initiative of America
AIDS Foundation of Chicago
AIDS Project Los Angeles
AIDS Support Network
AIDS Taskforce of Greater Cleveland
AIDS Treatment Activists Coalition
AIDS Treatment Data Network
AIDS/HIV Services Group
ALERT Health, Inc.
American Academy of HIV Medicine
American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases
American Liver Foundation
American Social Health Association
amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research
Arizona Hepatitis C Coalition
Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum
Asian & Pacific Islander Wellness Center
Asian American Council
Asian American Health Coalition of Greater Houston
Asian Community Alliance, Inc., Cincinnati OH
Asian Community Health Coalition
Asian Health Coalition of Illinois (AHCI)
Asian Health Foundation
Asian Health Services, Oakland, CA
Asian Liver Center at Stanford University
Asian Pacific Community in Action
Asian Pacific Liver Center (APLC)
Asian Services In Action, Inc.
AsianWeek Foundation, San Francisco CA
Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organizations (AAPCHO)
B Free CEED: National Center of Excellence in the Elimination of Hepatitis B Disparities
Boat People SOS, Inc., Falls Church, VA
Bosco’s Buddies Inc, Oceanport, NJ
Boulder County AIDS Project
Boulder County Public Health
C.O.R.E. Medical Clinic, Inc.
CAB Health & Recovery Services
California Hepatitis Alliance
California Hepatitis C Task Force
California Prison Focus
CAP Quality Care, Inc
Caring Ambassadors Program, Inc.
Center for African American Policy at the University of Denver
Center for Asian Health, Temple University
Center for Health Improvement
Center for Health Justice
Center for the Study of Hepatitis C, Weill Cornell Medical College
CHAIN – Community HIV/Hepatitis Advocates of Iowa Network
Champaign-Urbana Public Health District
Chicago Recovery Alliance
Children's Hospital and Research Center Oakland
Chinatown Service Center
Chinese Association of Greater Toledo
Citywide Harm Reduction Program
Community Access National Network
Community Health Action of Staten Island
Community HIV/AIDS Mobilization Project (CHAMP)
Doorways
Drug Abuse Alternatives Center
Drug Policy Alliance
Eastern Maine AIDS Network
Eastern Pennsylvania Hepatitis C Coalition
Education for Healthy Choices
EpiVax, Inc.
Family Services Network of New York, Inc
Foundation for Healthy Living
Foundation for Research on Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Inc (FROST’D)
Genentech, a member of the Roche group
Georgia AIDS Coalition
Georgia Doty HIV & Hepatitis Community Outreach Inc.
GlaxoSmithKline
Golden Rule Services
Guam Communication Network (GCN) Long Beach, CA
H.E.A.L.S. of the South (Hepatitis Education Awareness and Liver Support)
Harlem United Community AIDS Center, Inc.
Harm Reduction Center of Southern Oregon
Harm Reduction Coalition
Hawaii Island HIV/AIDS Foundation
HCV Support, Inc.
HealthReach Harm Reduction
Healthy Asian Americans Project at University of Michigan
Heartland CARES, Inc.
Hep C Advocate Network (HepCAN)
Hep C Connection
Hep C Meditations Project, San Francisco, CA & Seattle, WA
Hep Help of New Jersey Alliance
Hepatitis B Coalition of WA, WithinReach
Hepatitis B Foundation
Hepatitis B Initiative
Hepatitis C Action & Advocacy Coalition (HAAC)
Hepatitis C Association
Hepatitis C Awareness Project
Hepatitis C Support Project/HCV Advocate
Hepatitis Education Project
Hepatitis Foundation International
Hepatitis Support Association
Hepatitis Support Network of Hawai`i
Hepatitis-HIV-AIDS Awareness Project
HIPS (Helping Individual Prostitutes Survive)
HIV/AIDS Resource Center
HIV/AIDS Services for African Americans in Alaska
HIVictorious, Inc.
HONOReform
HOPE Clinic in Houston
Howard Center Safe Recovery
Immunization Action Coalition
Inner City Support for Hepatitis C
International Community Health Services
International Community of Women Living with HIV and AIDS (ICW)
Life Foundation
Liver Health Today
LiverHope
Local Area Support for Hepatitis, Inc.
Los Angeles County Hepatitis B Coalition
Los Angeles Hepatitis Intervention Project (LA HIP)
Louisville Area Support and Hope for HepC
Lowell Community Health Center
Lower East Side Harm Reduction Center
Luck Care Center/ Southside Health Association
Maine AIDS Alliance
Maine Community AIDS Partnership
Malama Pono Kauai AIDS Project
Marin Treatment Center
Maryland Hepatitis C Action
Maryland Hepatitis Coalition
Maryland Partnership for Prevention
Maui AIDS Foundation
Mendocino County AIDS Volunteer Network (MCAVN)
Mexican American Alcoholism Program (MAAP), Inc.
Michigan AIDS Coalition
Michigan Hepatitis C Foundation
Michigan HIV/AIDS Council (MHAC)
Michigan Positive Action Coalition (MI-POZ)
Midwest Asian Health Association
Miriam Hospital HIV/HCV Coinfection Program
Mo Hepatitis C Alliance
National Association of People With AIDS
National Black Leadership Commission on AIDS
National Coalition of STD Directors
National HCV Prison Coalition
National Hepatitis B Task Force
National Hepatitis C Advocacy Council
National Minority AIDS Council
National Organization for the Advancement of Chamorro People (NOACP)
National Viral Hepatitis Roundtable
Nebraska AIDS Project
New Mexico Hepatitis C Alliance
New Mexico POZ Coalition
New York Harm Reduction Educators, Inc.
Nor-Cal Hep C Network
North Carolina Harm Reduction Coalition
North Shore Health Project
Northeastern Pennsylvania Transplant Support Group Inc.
Northwest Pennsylvania Rural AIDS Alliance
NYC AIDS Housing Network (NYCAHN)
NYU Medical Center Hepatitis C Support Group
O'Connor Hospital HCV + HBV Support Group, Delhi, NY
Ohio Inner City Support for Hepatitis C
Orasure Technologies
Parents of Kids with Infectious Diseases
Peer Assistance Services, Inc.
Pharmacists Planning Service Inc.
Piedmont HIV Health Care Consortium
Pierce County AIDS Foundation
Portland Overdose Prevention Project
Positive Health Project
PPSI & Pharmacy Council on Hepatitis & Liver Diseases
Professional Nursing Alliance
Project Aware at Stanley Street Treatment and Resources
Project Inform
Safe Horizon
San Francisco Hep B Free, San Francisco CA
San Luis Obispo County Hepatitis C Project
Sonoma County Hepatitis AIDS Risk Reduction Program
South Carolina Campaign to End AIDS
South Side Help Center
Spears Foundation for Hepatitis C
St. Ann's Corner of Harm Reduction
St. Luke’s Texas Liver Coalition
St.Vincents HCV Support Group, Manhattan, NY
Status C Unknown
Tacoma Pierce County Health Department
Test Positive Aware Network
The AIDS Institute
The Center for Health Improvement (CHI)
The Grand Rapids Red Project
The Missouri AIDS Task Force
The Next Step Needle Exchange
THRIVE(!): The Persons Living With HIV/AIDS Initiative of Colorado
Tibotec Therapeutics
Total Health Awareness Team
Treatment Access Expansion Project
Treatment Action Group
UHAP / Upstate New York Hepatitis C Awareness Project, Delancey, NY
Urban Health Epidemiology Program, SUNY Downstate College of Medicine
Vermont Harm Reduction Coalition &Opiate Dependence resource Center
Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc.
Vietnamese Community Health Promotion Project
Village Care of New York
Visionary Health Concepts
Voices of Community Advocates and Leaders (VOCAL)
Washington Heights CORNER Project
Weill Cornell Medical College, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology
Wilson Resource Center


cc: Valerie Jarrett, EOP DPC
Regina Benjamin, HHS OSG
Jeff Crowley, EOP ONAP
Garth Graham, HHS OMH
Rosie Henson, HHS ASH
Chris Bates, HHS OHAP
Tom Frieden, CDC
Kevin Fenton, CDC NCHHSTP
John Ward, CDC DVH
Dan Reidford, CDC DVH












The Hepatitis C Appropriations Partnership (HCAP) was established in 2004 to increase federal resources for viral hepatitis and includes community-based organizations, public health and provider associations, national viral hepatitis and HIV organizations, and diagnostic, pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies who are working with policy makers and public health officials to increase federal support for viral hepatitis prevention, testing, education, research and treatment.

The National Viral Hepatitis Roundtable is a coalition of public, private, and voluntary organizations dedicated to developing, implementing and maintaining a national strategy to eliminate viral hepatitis in the United States.

World Hepatitis Alliance, a non-governmental organization that represents approximately 200 hepatitis B and hepatitis C patient groups from around the world, provides global leadership and supports action