May NYC Viral Hepatitis newsletter

Newsletter Contents

Upcoming Events

May NYC Viral Hepatitis Free Testing Events

New Resources, Education & Training

News

Funding

May is Viral Hepatitis Awareness Month!
Upcoming Events

« World Hepatitis Day NYC Press Conference – Steps of City Hall. May 19th (1-2PM). Join the NYC Hepatitis B Coalition and the NYC Hepatitis C Task Force in announcing the 2010 NYC Mayoral Proclamation and NYS Gubernatorial Proclamation designating May as Viral Hepatitis Awareness Month. To participate in the press conference, contact: Justina.Wu@nyumc.org.

« World Hepatitis Day Rally on Capitol Hill – Washington , DC . May 19th @ noon. Join the national advocacy effort! www.nvhr.org. Free bus transportation. To reserve a spot on the New York City bus, contact: mbsaly@nvhr.org.

« Hepatitis C & Former or Active Drug Users Health Care Press Conference. May 19th (11AM-12), Steps of City Hall. Organized by VOCAL. To join this event contact: jeremy@nycahn.org.

§ CDC Program Collaboration and Service Integration live Webcast: From framework to implementation on the national, state, and local levels. Presenters include Dr. Kevin Fenton, Director, CDC’s National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention; and Julie Scofield, Executive Director, National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors. May 10th, (2-3PM, EST). Login info will be posted on the website when available.

§ NYC Hepatitis C Advocacy Committee Meeting. May 13th (10AM-12). The New York Organ Donor Network: 460 W. 34th Street (corner of 10th Ave. and 34th St. ), 15th Floor, NY 10001. Hepatitis C and Hepatitis B advocates are invited to this meeting! For more information on HCV advocacy initiatives see: www.StatusCUnknown.org.

§ Disability Workshops on Fundamentals of Medicare, Medicaid & Social Security. Provided by Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Part 1: May 14th (8:30AM – 1:30 PM). Part 2: June 25th (9AM – 3PM). 26 Federal Plaza, New York 10278. To Register contact: Frank.Winter@cms.hhs.gov

§ Weill Cornell Hepatitis B, C, Liver Cancer & Surgery Lecture. May 18th (6-8:30). 1300 York Ave, 2nd Floor, Conference Room A & B. Presentations by Ira Jacobson, MD, Maya Gambarin-Gelwan, MD and Tomoaki Kato, MD. RSVP to: (646) 962-4731or arl2005@med.cornell.edu.

§ NYC Faith in Action for HIV/AIDS Prevention, Care and Education Coalition Meeting. Hepatitis B and C advocates concerned with HIV Coinfection are welcome. May 21st (12:30 – 2PM). ASCNYC: 41 East 11th Street , 5th Floor Conference Room, Manhattan . RSVP to: info@nycfia.org

§ 1st NYC Harm Reduction Peer Networking Meeting. May 27th (2pm – 4pm), 93 Worth Street, Room 904. All PDSE Workers and Harm Reduction Peer Health Educators are welcome. The 1st Annual Peer Delivered Syringe Exchange Conference was an incredible success! Monthly network meetings will ensure the groups keep moving forward. Call Anne Siegler with questions: (212) 219-5525.

- Housing Works News Article about Peer Delivered Syringe Exchange

§ Mount Sinai Division of General Internal Medicine Grand Rounds: "Overcoming Barriers to HCV Treatment for Drug Users." May 27th (8:30 – 9:30 AM). 1468 Madison Avenue , Annenberg Building, Dining Rooms A & B. Presenter: Alain Litwin , MD , MPH, MS, Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine and Psychiatry, Albert Einstein College of Medicine.

§ Liver Life Walk. American Liver Foundation. June 6th, Battery Park City . This is a beautiful event to participate in together as a group in order to generate awareness and celebrate our work! Join the NYC Viral Hepatitis Task Force Team!

§ Viral Hepatitis Clinical Studies in Australia Lecture. June 10th (4 – 5PM), 125 Worth Street, 2nd floor Auditorium. Presenter: Pip Marks BSc, MPH, Clinical Trials Manager, Australia ’s National Centre in HIV Epidemiology and Clinical Research. Will present on Studies: ETHOS – HCV management in Opiate Substitution settings; RAMPT-C – risks and mechanisms of sexual transmission of HCV; Acute-C – natural history and treatment of AHC; InC3 – International collaboration of AHC databases; STREP – HCC epidemiology and prevention; and ACHOS – Australian HCV observational database. No registration required.

« Viral Hepatitis Legislative Awareness Day in City Hall Chambers. June 11th (1PM). Stay tuned for more information.

§ Community Health Workers of NYC Annual Conference. June 14th (8AM – 4PM), New York Pennsylvania Hotel, 401 Seventh Avenue (at 33rd Street ) NY, 10001. Scholarships available for Community Health Workers ($20).

§ Ongoing Patient Support Groups ~ Hepatitis B & C. See Online Listing ~ Groups listed throughout five boroughs, as well as computer and telephone groups.

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Viral Hepatitis Awareness Month Free Testing Events

§ Korean Community Services Hepatitis B Education & Testing. May 8th (10AM – 2PM). Flushing High School , 35-01 Union St. , Flushing , 11354. To register, contact: kchun@kcs.org.

§ Charles B Wang Community Heath Center Hepatitis B Testing. Week of May 17th. 268 Canal Street, NY 10013 . By appointment, contact klo@cbwchc.org.

§ Actors’ Fund Al Hirschfeld Free Clinic Hepatitis B & C Testing for uninsured working members of the entertainment & performing arts community. Week of May 17th (9:30AM -5PM). Al Hirshfeld Free Health Clinic, 475 West 57th St. NY 10019 . Sponsered by the Al D. Rodriguez Liver Foundation. By appointment only, contact: jpearl@actorsfund.org.

§ Harlem United - FROST’D Hepatitis C Outreach & Testing & Hepatitis A & B Vaccination. May 19th (12-4PM). 290 Lenox Avenue , and outside the state building at 125th and Adam Clayton Powell Boulevard . For more info contact: eroberts@frostd.org.

§ Mount Sinai Hepatitis C Risk Factor Screening. May 20th (10AM – 3PM). 17 East 102nd Street , lobby (between Madison and 5th). Contact: Natalie.Kil@mountsinai.org.

§ Weill Cornell & NY Harm Reduction Educators Hepatitis C Testing. May 19th - three sites:

- Weill Cornell Medical College, (1PM – 7PM). 1305 York Avenue , 2nd Floor NY , NY 10021 . Contact: (646) 962-4372.

- NY Harm Reduction Educators Harlem , (10AM – 4PM). 1991 Lexington Avenue, NY 10035 (Corner of 121st Street ). Contact: (212)828-8464.

- NY Harm Reduction Educators Bronx , (10AM - 5PM). 953 Southern Boulevard, Suite 302 , Bronx , NY 10459 .
Contact: (718) 842-6050.

§ Citiwide Harm Reduction Hepatitis C Testing & Awareness Event. May 19th (12-3PM). 226 E. 144th St. Bronx , NY 10451 . Hepatitis C Screenings, Hepatitis A & B Vaccinations, HIV Testing, and escorts to medical care. Food, Snacks and music will be provided! For more info, contact: SGuillaume@citiwidehr.org.

§ American Cancer Society Hepatitis B Education & Testing Events. Two dates and sites:

- May 23rd Sunday (1:30-3:30 PM). New Town Church - 85-15 Broadway, Elmhurst , NY 11373 . Speaker: Dr. Sing Chan. Pre-registration is required, contact: 718-886-8890 ext.19.

- May 27th Thursday (1-3PM). Confucius Plaza Community Room - 33 Bowery, New York , NY . Speaker: Dr. Wuhua Jing. Pre-registration is required, contact: 718-886-8890 ext.19.

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New Resources

§ NYC Hepatitis B Coalition Website

§ NYC Hepatitis C Task Force Website

§ NYS DOH Hepatitis C Media Campaign Materials – Posters and other printed material available to order.

§ Hep B Stops with Me Photo Contest. In celebration of API Heritage Month and World Hepatitis Day Hep B Moms asking moms from around the world to pledge to stop hepatitis B.

§ San Francisco Hep B Free Ad Campaign, Plea for Asians to Get Tests for Hepatitis. New York Times.

§ NYC Peer Deliver Syringe Exchange Network established at the April 29th 1st Annual Peer Delivered Syringe Exchange (PDSE) Conference. PDSEs provide health education, outreach, and crisis intervention to the people at greatest risk for hepatitis C, over dose and other health crisis.

- 1st Meeting will be: May 27th (2pm – 4pm), 93 Worth Street , Room 904. Contact: asiegler@health.nyc.gov.

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Education & Training

§ Clinical Care Options – Online Education HBV & HCV (CME)

- Management of HBV, Advanced Liver Disease, and Other Liver-Related Complications. Clinical Care Options independent coverage of the 2010 Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of the Liver in Vienna , Austria , includes Capsule Summaries of the most clinically relevant data presented at the meeting and audio highlights from CCO's expert faculty.

§ Health Literacy for Public Health Professionals Online Training. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) FREE program to educate public health professionals about limited health literacy and their role in addressing it.

HBV and HCV Coalition Member Recommended Articles

§ Effective treatment of injecting drug users with recently acquired hepatitis C virus infection. Gastroenterology, 2010.

§ Gaps in Hospital Policies and Practices to Prevent Perinatal Transmission of Hepatitis B Virus. Pediatrics, March 2010.

§ Contemporary Clinical Research of Traditional Chinese Medicines for Chronic Hepatitis B in China: An Analytical Review. Hepatology, 2010.

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News

§ Adherence to Perinatal HBV Prevention Guidance Lacking (CME/CE)

§ FDA Mulls Compassionate Use Expansion for HCV Drugs. The FDA heard public testimony on a petition to establish a compassionate care program to provide access to investigational, direct-acting antiviral agents for severely ill hepatitis C virus (HCV) patients who aren't eligible...

§ Fructose Linked to Fatty Liver Disease (CME/CE). Daily consumption of fructose -- the sugar commonly found in soft drinks -- significantly increased hepatic fibrosis in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, according to a study of patients enrolled in a clinical research network.

§ Fatty Liver Raises Risk of Death (CME/CE)

§ Obesity, Drinking Double Up to Harm Liver (CME/CE)

§ Coffee Could Stall Liver Disease Progression (CME/CE)

§ Milk Thistle Cuts Liver Toxicity from ALL Chemotherapy (CME/CE)

§ Ultrasound Helps Predict Liver Damage in NAFLD (CME/CE)

§ Organ Donation Rarely Discussed in Primary Care (CME/CE)

§ HIV Disrupts Mucosal Barriers (CME/CE). Exposure to HIV can directly disrupt cellular barriers whose function is to keep pathogens out, researchers said. The process -- discovered accidentally -- depends on a still-mysterious interaction between an HIV surface protein and mucosal epithelial…

§ Liver Diseases: Comorbidities and Transplants, and Outcome Predictors. In this exclusive live broadcast, researchers present data on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and transplant outcomes, an alternative to biopsy for diagnosing NAFLD, the use of ultrasound and alfa fetoprotein blood test...

§ ACG: HCV Drives Down Kidney Function (CME/CE)

§ European Association for the Study of the Liver ( EASL) 45th Annual Meeting. April 14-18, 2010, Vienna , Austria . NATAP reports by Jules Levin.

- FDA Hearing on HCV Oral Drugs Early Access

- New HCV Drugs EASL 2010

- Telaprevir for Previously Treated Chronic HCV Infection - NEJM

- Fibrosis progression in initially mild chronic hepatitis C: 36% with F1 Progress to F3 or cirrhosis

§ Liver Cell Culture System Might Test New HCV Drugs (CME/CE)

§ AASLD: Once-Daily HCV Protease Inhibitors Show Early Promise (CME/CE)

§ AASLD: High SVR Rates Seen with Telaprevir for Hepatitis C (CME/CE)

§ AASLD: Treating Before Transplant Cuts HCV Recurrence (CME/CE)

§ Donor Exchange System Works for Liver Transplants (CME/CE). Paired donor exchange systems designed to avoid blood type incompatibility problems can work for liver transplants as well as for kidneys, researchers said.

§ Liver Transplant Speeds Immune Cell Aging (CME/CE). Accelerated lymphocyte senescence may contribute to the increased rates of cardiovascular disease, cancer, and infections seen in liver transplant recipients, researchers said.

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Funding

$ Alliance Healthcare Foundation: General Fund Announcement.

$ Drug Policy Foundation: General Fund Announcement.

$ Faith in Action: Replication of the Interfaith Volunteer Caregivers Program.

$ J.M. Kaplan Fund: General Fund Announcement.

$ Frances L. and Edwin L. Cummings Memorial Fund: General Fund Announcement.

$ Frank E. Payne and Seba B. Payne Foundation: General Fund Announcement.

$ Merck Family Fund: General Fund Announcement.

$ Hoffmann-La Roche Funding Opportunities.

$ NYS Recovery Funding Handbook

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Contact:

Nirah Johnson, LMSW ~ Community Projects Specialist

Office of Viral Hepatitis Coordination ~ NYC Department of Health & Mental Hygiene

125 Worth Street, Room 326. New York , NY 10013 ~ (212) 341-0432 ~ njohnso2@health.nyc.gov

Office of Viral Hepatitis Coordination Website

NYC Hepatitis B Coalition Website

NYC Hepatitis C Task Force Website