What's HepCAPpening?

• September 27 is National Gay Men’s HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (NGMHAAD). This year’s theme, The Conversation About HIV Is Changing: Talk Undetectable. Talk PrEP., reminds us that advances in science have given us powerful tools that can help end new HIV infections in the United States. For more information, and helpful resources, visit the CDC's website.
• The Health Resources and Services Administration’s (HRSA) HIV/AIDS Bureau released its bi-annual Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program Highlights. The Philadelphia Department of Public Health's "C Ya!" project, which aimed to reduce disparities related to HCV coinfection among people with HIV, was the main project highlighted in the publication!
  • More than 45,000 people who live in Philadelphia have HCV, and more than 3,000 of those people also have HIV. C Ya! supported the development, implementation, and evaluation of comprehensive approaches to screening, care, and treatment o people of color who are co-infected with HIV and HCV. 
• On September 10, 2019, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released its 2017 Viral Hepatitis Surveillance Report. The report comes after the World Health Assembly in 2016, where the United States agreed to adopt the first ever Global Hepatitis Strategy, with the goal of eliminating viral hepatitis by 2030. The 65-page report includes national hepatitis data and trends, and provides key information to assess the progress towards achieving hepatitis elimination.
• 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 
  • Another Gender Gap: Women Slow to Receive HCV Care (Gastroendo News)
  • The Hepatitis B Foundation calls for increased resources to address rising acute hepatitis B infections, disparities in Hepatitis B - related death rates, and lagging birth dose rates (hepb.org)
• Harm reduction, drug use & overdose prevention 
  • Tackle the Epidemic, Not the Opioids (Nature)
  • On September 5, the idea of a safe injection site in Philadelphia got its day in federal court. This twitter thread is a live summary of the oral arguments made in the hearing.
• State-level updates 
  • San Francisco sees new success in treating homeless people with hepatitis C (InfoHep)
  • The Louisiana Departments of Health and Corrections have collaborated to develop a state-wide strategy for hepatitis C elimination by 2024. They are seeking feedback, suggestions, and corrections. View the report and offer your comments here! 
  • The Republic of Georgia Makes Major Strides Against Its Hepatitis C Epidemic (Hepmag.com)
  • Connecticut Prisons Will Add Staff To Screen For Hepatitis C - some 13,000 inmates will be screened (The CT Minor) 
  • 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 Health Resources and Services Administration’s (HRSA) HIV/AIDS Bureau released its inaugural Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program (RWHAP) AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP) Annual Client-Level Data Report last week. The report is the first publication of national ADAP client-level data submitted through the ADAP Data Report system and analyzes service utilization, demographic, and socioeconomic factors among clients served by ADAP. It includes client-level data based on age, race/ethnicity, federal poverty level, and health care coverage (HRSA)
  • 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.
  • **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. 

• Indigenous Approach to Healing Influential in Hep C Care (Medscape)
• Hepatitis C Vaccine Disapoints, Another in the Works (Medscape)
• Implementing an HCV Clinic Inside an HIV Clinic: A Model of Care for HCV Micro-Elimination (Open Forum Infectious Diseases)  
• Prevalence of Hepatitis B Virus Infection Among Adults US Aged 20-59 Years With A History of Injection Drug Use: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2001 - 2006 (Clinical Infectious Diseases)   
• Management of Hepatitis B Infected Pregnant Women: A Cross Sectional Study of Obstetricians (BMC)
• Early Initiation of Antiviral Therapy Contributes to a Rapid and Significant Loss of Serum HBsAg In Infantile-Onset Hepatitis B (Journal of Hepatology) 
• Late Diagnosis Of Hepatitis C Virus Infection 2014 - 2016: Continuing Missed Intervention Opportunities (AJMC)
• 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)

• *new!* Resource: The Department of Homeland Security’s final public charge rule will officially be enforced in October. In response, the Protecting Immigrant Families (PIF) Coalition recently released a state policy toolkit with talking points and data for state and local government officials to minimize the harm of public charge, as well as a social media toolkit for community-facing messaging.
• *new!* Resource: Prescription Hope is a national prescription medication access program that provides low-cost prescription medications for insured, uninsured, and underinsured individuals. All medications are just $50 a month. Prescription hope offers Vemlidy, entecavir, and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF). Enrollment is based upon household income levels, and is a 12-month time period, with automatic renewals as needed
• Resource: NASTAD developed and disseminated a comprehensive needs assessment to identify areas of need critical to jurisdiction-specific elimination and strategic planning efforts. The assessment tool explores program strengths, challenges, gaps, and other information critical to grasp and address the unique needs of health department viral hepatitis programs.
• Resource: The CDC released new materials to encourage hepatitis A and hepatitis B vaccination in gay and bisexual men. These resources include a new website for gay and bisexual men and educational materials. 
• Resource: The Know Hepatitis B Campaign provides free, culturally sensitive materials in over 10 languages. Find more on their website.
• 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: Sharps disposal safety guide from the Philadelphia Department of Public Health (pdf)
• 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: 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.