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NVHR Newsletters
Winter Update 2009-2010
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Steering
Committee
Lorren Sandt, Chair
Jeff Caballero, Vice-Chair
Joan Block, Secretary
Dennis Simon, Treasurer
Bruce Burkett
Ryan Clary
Andrew Muir, MD
Michael Ninburg
Daniel Raymond
Chris Taylor
Deborah Wexler, MD
Staff
Martha Saly, Director
Mimi Schott, Admin
Support
Rose Hessmiller,
Webmaster
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Our Website
Who Should Join
NVHR?
Any organization
committed to viral hepatitis prevention, care, advocacy, and education
Eligible to be a
Voting Member:
· Community-based
organizations
· Clinics and health care agencies
· Medical
associations
· Foundations
Associate
Membership:
· Federal,State,
Local Government Agencies
· Corporations
interested in viral hepatitis prevention, education and care
Join NVHR Now!
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Not a member of an organization that is eligible for membership?
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Save the
Date: Rally in DC!
May
19, 2010, World Hepatitis Day: NVHR is sponsoring a Rally at the
Capitol to mark the day. We need YOU to come to DC and let
policy makers hear our mighty voice! Mark your calendars and stay
tuned for more information.
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Call to Action:
Ask Your Representative to Co-sponsor HR 3974
The Viral Hepatitis
and Liver Cancer Prevention Bill (HR3974) now has 27 co-sponsors in
Congress. We are aiming for 100 co-sponsors by World Hepatitis Day
and we need your help! To find out if your representative has signed
on, visit the Library of Congress, www.thomas.gov. Enter HR
3974 in the search box and then click on sponsors. If
your representative has not signed on as a cosponsor, make a
call! The NVHR Call to Action will provide you with important
information about how to contact your representative. The bill has
not yet been introduced in the Senate.
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Volunteers
Needed for NVHR Membership Committee
The NVHR Steering Committee is making two-way communication with our
members a top priority in 2010. We will be hosting quarterly conference
calls as one way to attain that objective. At this time we are
recruiting members to participate in a committee to help us plan the
calls and identify other ways to have useful exchanges with and
between our members. Michael Ninburg will chair the membership
committee and we are looking for NVHR members to join the committee.
If you are interested in participating in the membership please email
Mimi Schott,
with your name, organization name and short statement
of interest . We may not be able to invite all who are
interested to join, as we are committed to having equal
representation from hepatitis B and hepatitis C focused
organizations.
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New Tip Sheet from NVHR - Planning
and Implementing Focus Groups
NVHR produces a series of tip sheets on a variety of
topics to support the increased capacity and sustainability of
non-profit member organizations. Our new tip sheet provides a clear outline about why,
when and how to plan and conduct a successful focus group. Focus
groups might help you to plan, improve, market and evaluate your
programs and services.
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Have You Read the IOM Report
on Viral Hepatitis?
On January 11, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) released their report
Viral Hepatitis and Liver Cancer: a National Strategy for Prevention
and Control of Hepatitis B and C. By pointing out the lack of a
federal response to viral hepatitis, the IOM report validates
the work that community based organizations are doing
with scarce resources. The report discusses many the gaps
in services, giving useful evidence that there is much work to be
done. The IOM report provides us with a significant tool to advocate
for improved viral hepatitis programs at the local, state and federal
level. You may download a copy of the report from the NVHR
website.
Slides from the NVHR January 12 IOM webinar are posted here.
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NVHR Newsletter - 2009, the Year in Review
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_______________
NVHR wishes you a Happy New Year!
Steering Committee
Lorren Sandt, Chair
Jeff Caballero, Vice-Chair
Joan Block, Secretary
Dennis Simon, Treasurer
Bruce Burkett
Ryan Clary
Andrew Muir, MD
Michael Ninburg
Daniel Raymond
Chris Taylor
Deborah Wexler, MD
Staff
Martha Saly, Director
Mimi Schott, Admin Support
Rose Hessmiller, Webmaster
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Quick Links...
Our Website
Who Should Join NVHR?
Any organization committed to viral hepatitis prevention, care, advocacy, and education
Voting Members
· Community-based organizations
·
· Clinics and health care agencies
· Medical associations
· Foundations
Associate Members
· Federal, State, Local Government Agencies
· Corporations interested in viral hepatitis prevention, education and care
Join NVHR Now!
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The Viral Hepatitis and Liver Cancer Prevention Act
(HR 3974)
On October 29, 2009, a bi-partisan group of representatives introduced a bill that combined separate hepatitis B and hepatitis C bills that were introduced in previous Congresses. NVHR was instrumental in bringing together the advocates for each of the bills and worked with Congressmen Mike Honda (D-CA), Charles Dent (R-PA), William Cassidy (R-LA), Edolphus Towns (D-NY). HR3974 amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish, promote, and support a comprehensive prevention, education, research, and medical management referral program for viral hepatitis infection. NVHR is working toward enlisting 100 cosponsors for HR 3974 by the first 100 days of 2010! We need advocates' help to make this happen. Read NVHR's call to action and call your representative today!
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Institute of Medicine Study of Viral Hepatitis
Coming Soon...
In 2008, NVHR in partnership with the Division of Viral Hepatitis and the Division of Cancer Prevention and Control of the Centers for Disease Control, the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health and the Department of Veterans Affairs, contracted with the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies (IOM) to study and report on the status of viral hepatitis in the United States. The charge to the IOM was to determine ways to reduce new hepatitis B and hepatitis C infections and the morbidity and mortality related to chronic viral hepatitis. The committee assessed current prevention and control efforts and identified priorities for further research, policy and action. The much anticipated IOM report will be made public on January 11, 2009, following briefings to the sponsors and members of the House and Senate! Watch for NVHR's announcement of the link the report and our webinar designed to introduce the report findings and provide tips on how to use the report for your advocacy efforts. |
Congressman Hank Johnson (D, GA) Discloses Hepatitis C Status
Congressman Hank Johnson has been working with NVHR to learn about how he can support our advocacy on behalf of people with hepatitis B and C. What makes Congressman Johnson different than other supportive Representatives on Capitol Hill? This month, Congressman Johnson disclosed that he is being treated for hepatitis C at Walter Reed Medical Center. NVHR wishes Congressman Johnson well in his final months of treatment and we look forward to working with him to shine light on viral hepatitis and to show that viral hepatitis affects those in all walks of life. Read more about Congressman Johnson's disclosure here. |
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NVHR Visited Capitol Hill in 2009 - a Lot!
Visits to policy makers by NVHR staff and members were to numerous to account here. Some of these visits included: AASLD Hill Day, March 2009; World Hepatitis Day Congressional Briefing, May 19, 2009; Hepatitis B and C Congressional Testing Event (Cosponsored by AAPCHO, Chinese American Medical Society, Hepatitis B Foundation), July 2009; and the Congressional Briefing, September 2009. The topics covered during our meetings included increasing appropriations for the Division of Viral Hepatitis, supporting health care reform that includes access to care for people with viral hepatitis, removing the federal ban on syringe exchange program funding, and supporting viral hepatitis legislation. We saw some positive changes, and definitely feel we made an impact in terms of awareness of hepatitis B and hepatitis C among policy makers. We look forward to continuing these efforts in 2009, armed with the IOM report to support our advocacy efforts. |
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