NVHR Update
Update 5/07
National Viral Hepatitis Roundtable Update
Spring 2007
Welcome to the Spring 2007 edition of NVHR Update, a newsletter
series intended to keep you up to date on the activities of the National
Viral Hepatitis Roundtable and its members. In this issue of
the Update we highlight:
- National Hepatitis Awareness Month
- Communications Working Group
- Sneak Preview – Third NVHR Conference
- Legislative Advocacy
- What’s Your News?
National Hepatitis Awareness Month – Who’s
Doing What?
May is an important month for us all as we draw public attention
to viral hepatitis. Check out NVHR member organization activities
happening all month long at http://www.nvhr.org/hep-awareness-month.htm.
If you would like to have your organization’s events listed,
send an email to Dick Conlon at rconlon@nvhr.org for
posting. And be sure to let us know the results of your activities
once they are completed. It is important to share our activities
with policymakers to demonstrate the energy and enthusiasm by which
we are pursuing the goal of eliminating hepatitis.
UPDATED ACTION ALERT ON FUNDING COMPREHENSIVE STUDY OF CHRONIC
HEPATITIS BY THE INSTITUTE OF MEDICINE
We need your help!
This is the major request we will make to your organization this
year as a member of the National Viral Hepatitis Roundtable
Communications Working Group
A
working group of your peers has been collaborating with Ogilvy Public
Relations to develop materials to support our Eliminate Hepatitis
Action Plan. The first outcome is a platform of core messages
that will unify our terminology when talking about NVHR, its mission
and the elimination of viral hepatitis with key stakeholders. These messages stress the
importance of education, testing, treatment and prevention because, “No
one has to die because of viral hepatitis.”
The next step will be development of an advocacy toolkit for your
use with the media, and in meetings and conversations with policymakers. The
toolkit will be available online, and will contain material that
will help in your efforts to advocate for the objectives of NVHR
as well as your respective organization. You may be hearing
from Ogilvy as they collect testimonials from patients, families
and friends affected by hepatitis. Please help them so that
we have a robust toolkit for our advocacy activities.
Thanks to the following individuals for their work on this effort
and for their continued participation – DeAnn Ryberg (Colorado
Department of Public Health and Environment), Leslie Benson (Education
for Healthy Choices), Deborah Wexler (Immunization Action Coalition),
Chris Taylor (NASTAD), Molli Conti (Hepatitis B Foundation) and Julia
Spears (Spears Foundation).
Sneak Preview - Third NVHR Conference
NVHR is in discussions with the CDC on planning our first national
meeting since April 2005. We plan to convene a web conference
for NVHR members and other stakeholders in 2008. We are awaiting
word on the possibility of holding the conference in conjunction
with World Hepatitis Day on May 19 and promoting a World Wide Hepatitis
Conference. We’ll be connecting key thought leaders in
the fight to eliminate hepatitis to share knowledge, ideas and set
actions. Stay tuned, as we will be calling for poster submissions
and panelists.
Legislative Advocacy
The Board of Directors was very busy in Washington during March
and April. Nearly all members of the House and Senate Appropriations
Committees were visited and received educational materials on the
need for increased funding of federal agency programs and of adult
hepatitis vaccine efforts. Also, NVHR has signed on to a call
for federal funding of an Institute of Medicine Study of Chronic
Hepatitis in collaboration with CDC and other federal agencies. Stay
tuned…
What’s Your News?
Does your organization have good news or an upcoming event to share
with the NVHR community? Have an idea for an upcoming issue
of the NVHR Update? Contact Dick
Conlon to share your knowledge with
other members.
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