What's HepCAPpening?

• Philadelphia FIGHT will be co-hosting a somber demonstration outside of the Safehouse Federal Hearing to support the legality and importance of Safehouse Philadelphia. The demonstration will take place Monday, August 19, 2019 from 8am - 4pm. 
• NASTAD published a press release, stating that the public charge final rule is another attack on immigrants, and will hurt public health efforts to end HIV and Hepatitis. 
  • "The rule not only makes it more difficult for people living with HIV, hepatitis, and other chronic conditions to enter this country or apply for a green card, but it has also had a much broader chilling effect on access to a range of public health and healthcare services beyond the scope of the rule" - NASTAD Acting Executive Director Terrance Moore
• August is national immunization month! This year's themes are "Vaccinate Your Family," and "Trust for America's Health." Visit the CDC's website to get more information on this year's campaign, including social media graphics. Be sure to use the hashtag #ivax2protect when posting on social media!
• In July the Health and Human Services' Office of Minority Health announced the recipients of the 2019 FY Hepatitis B Demonstration Grant Program. The Philadelphia Department of Public Health is one of the grantees! Each of the funded projects will focus on implementing comprehensive, culturally competent community-based hepatitis B education, screening, vaccination and treatment programs in disadvantaged and racial and ethnic minority communities across the United States. 
• Follow us on Instagram and on Twitter to see more!
  • Our #HepCAPHepFACTS photo campaign features local HCV champions and allies highlighting what Philly needs to know about hepatitis C. Have an important HCV message you want us to spread or a Hep Hero to highlight? Reach out to hepcap.philly@gmail.com!

• Access to care 
  • America Has a Health-Care Crisis -  In Its Prison System (Governing)
    • "All together, prisoners make up 1% of the population, yet they account for 35% of the nation's total cases of hepatitis C." 
  • A New Resource Aims to Help Practitioners Identify Stigma, and Break Through Barriers (NewsGP) 
  • Opinion: Economic Barriers To Organ Transplants From Living Donors Must Be Removed (Stat)
  • Former Black Panther Mumia Abu-Jamal spent 5 years fighting for access to hepatitis C treatment in prison.  On July 19, a federal appeals court gave upheld his right to sue the Corrections Department for denying him treatment (CBS News)
• Harm reduction, drug use & overdose prevention 
  • A $5.5 Million Grant Supports Study of Model To Integrate Treatments for Opioid Addiction, and Infectious Diseases (Yale News) 
  • 'Where The Need Is:' Drexel Study Shows Kensington Residents In Favor of Overdose Prevention Sites (Philadelphia Weekly) 
  • When Harm Reduction Expansion Stifles Activism: A Lesson From Europe (Filter.org)
• State-level updates 
  • Penn State researchers found that between 2000 and 2016, opioid misuse reduced Pennsylvania state tax revenue by over $11 billion, including approximately $10 billion in lost income tax revenue and almost $2 billion in lost sales tax revenue (Science Daily)
  • This map outlines where active cases of hepatitis A have been reported in the past 12 months on a scale from 0 to 100 relative to other states (Hepmag.com)
• National updates
  • The United States Preventive Services Task Force has announced their final recommendation and evidence summary for screening for hepatitis B in pregnant women. The agency has maintained an A grade for screening for hepatitis B virus infection at the first prenatal visit.
  • As Opioid Settlements Loom, States and Cities Ague Over Who Will Lead the Fight (Hepmag)
  • **Providers! Help HealthHCV evaluate national provider needs and help shape a robust suite of education offerings on HCV prevention, care, and treatment.** Take the annual survey on the state of HCV care. 

• Gilead is looking to support 6 projects that focus on understanding HBV epidemiology in undeserved groups under their new program, "HBV Linkage to CARe & Epidemiology in Special Populations (HBV CARE)." The aim of the program is to improve screening, and linkage to care efforts in vulnerable populations. The HBV CARE program will support up to 6 well-defined projects of no more than $150,000 USD or equivalent sum. 
• The Hepatitis B Foundation is offering mini-grants for one (1) year to Hep B United coalition partners working on hepatitis B education, screening and linkage to care activities. Up to 8 awards will be given ranging from $5000 to $10000 each. 
• Register for the Southeastern PA Treatment Overdose Prevention Seminar, September 12, 2019! Hosted by the Pennsylvania Harm Reduction Coalition, Philadelphia Department of Public Health and Caron Treatment Centers, this seminar will equip treatment providers with the necessary skills & education to implement overdose prevention strategies within their addiction treatment programs.
• Register for the Fast Track Cities 2019 Conference, the first conference of more than 270 cities and municipalities that are accelerating their responses to HIV, tuberculosis, and viral hepatitis. The conference will take place in London September 8 - 11. It aims to highlight successes achieved across the Fast-Track Cities network, address cross-cutting challenges faced by local stakeholders, and share best practices in accelerating urban AIDS responses, inclusive of co-infectious diseases and co-morbid conditions.
• Want to contribute to national health research? The All of Us Research Program is an exciting initiative from the National Institutes of Health.  The goal is simple: to speed up health research and medical breakthroughs by building one of the largest health databases of its kind.  To do this, the PA research program is helping NIH meet their enrollment goal of one million participants. Find out more info and how to register here.

• Barriers and facilitators to hepatitis B vaccination among sex workers in Vancouver, Canada: Implications for integrated HIV, STI, and viral hepatitis services (International Journal of Infectious Diseases)
• Blood Tests Can Predict Fatty Liver Disease in Those With HIV (Hepmag)
• Outcomes of Treatment for Hepatitis C in Primary Care, Compared to Hospital-based Care: A Randomized, Controlled Trial in People Who Inject Drugs (Clinical Infectious Disease) 
• Patterns of Drug, Alcohol Use and Injection Equipment Sharing Among People with Recent Injecting Drug Use or Receiving Opioid Agonist Treatment During and Following Hepatitis C Virus Treatment with Direct-Acting Antiviral Therapies: An International Study (Clinical Infectious Disease)
• Maternal Hepatitis B or C and the Long-Term Risk of Gastrointestinal Morbidity for Offspring: A Population-Based Cohort Study (Liver International) 
• Sofosbuvir/ Velpatasvir ofr 12 Weeks in Hepatitis C Virus-Infected Patients With End-Stage Renal Disease Undergoing Dialysis (Journal of Hepatology) 
• The Rocky Road to Viral Hepatitis Eliminations: Assuring Access to Antiviral Therapy for ALL Coinfected Patients from Low- to High- Income Settings (Journal of the International AIDS Society) 
• Too Many People with Viral Hepatitis Are Diagnosed Late - With Dire Consequences (Nature Reviews)
• Association of Antiviral Therapy With Risk of Parkinson Disease in Patients With Chronic Hepatitis C Virus Infection (JAMA Neurology) 
• Sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of persons who experienced spontaneous hepatitis C viral clearance (BMC Infectious Disease)

• Resource: This Special Edition Health Bulletin from the Philadelphia Department of Public Health outlines what hepatitis A is, and what to do if exposed to the virus. This a great tool for those who want to learn about hepatitis A, but have no background knowledge of the virus.  
• Resource: The World Hepatitis Alliance offered a series of masterclasses through its World Hepatitis Day website, in which organizations shared case studies of successful advocacy and outreach activities. Look at the masterclasses for helpful tips! 
• Resource: Global State of Harm Reduction Briefing on Hepatitis C and People Who Use Drugs (pdf)
• Resource: Sharps disposal safety guide from the Philadelphia Department of Public Health (pdf)
• Resource: Information on Philly's Summer Meal Hotline, which provides free meals to kids and teens 18 and under, is located in this pdf and at phillysummermeals.org-- call 1-855-252-MEAL or text FOOD to 877877 to find your nearest site. 
• Resource: Find out where you can get vaccinated for hepatitis A and B-- use this map to locate the most convenient pharmacy for you
• Resource: Changing the Narrative is a network of reporters, researchers, academics, and advocates concerned about the way  media represents drug use and addiction. Their resources page contains information on stigmatizing language and narratives.
• Resource: End HepC SF put together SEX-C, a brochure of tips to understanding and preventing sexual transmission of HCV. (pdf)
• Training: Community Liver Alliance is offering a CME training on Treating Hepatitis C in Primary Care settings.
• Webinars: HepCURE's Archived Webinars include presentations of Hepatitis C prior authorization, automated screening of hepatitis B & C in the ER, and an overview of Non-injection Drug Use and Hepatitis C.