Hepatitis NSW

Great news report on hep C cure - and the people who are working to get it to the people who need it 👌

There's now a cure for Hepatitis C. Finding the people who need it is the challenge Hepatitis C attacked Dennis Maby's liver over two decades and nearly claimed his life. Now clear of the disease he's urging other people to get tested.

"International Overdose Awareness Day (IOAD), observed annually on August 31st, is a campaign to end overdose, remember without stigma those who have died and acknowledge the grief of family and friends left behind.
www.overdoseday.com International Overdose Awareness Day

This year's theme 'Together we can' highlights the need for local communities and beyond to stand together to end overdose stigma, and support those left behind in their grief.

To find out more about International Overdose Awareness Day events in your area, go to www.overdose.com

TX! MAG #44 is out!! "Gettin' it Right". Andy got hep C. Stigma and discrimination weigh upon his mind. Aunty Liz gives great info, assists Andy with treatment. Aunty also learns a thing or two. Teamwork!
"Don't Wanna Lose You!" Laura had hep C for years and REALLY did not want to talk about it. Daughter, Katie, has other ideas and "turns the truck around".
Read Issue 44 here. www.hep.org.au/product/tx-mag-44/
Subscribe and never miss an issue. www.hep.org.au/product/tx-mag-subscription/

Some of our staff, having fun in the sun at the 14th Australian Viral Hepatitis Conference , in Darwin last week!

Our CEO, Steven Drew presented on 'The power of peers, partnerships and place', as part of the session 'A United Approach to Hepatitis C Elimination in NSW', alongside NSW Health, NUAA NSW and .

Grace had a poster displayed on Comparing Dried Blood Spot & Point of Care testing cascade of care outcomes, you can check it out at www.hep.org.au/resources/poster-presentations

As part of leading into Day on July 28th, Hepatitis NSW launches our annually-run hep C campaign throughout the month with NSW-wide advertising across multiple platforms and settings.

is promoting the message that curing your hep C has never been more effective — the new treatment is a game changer: Get out, get tested, get cured and live your best life.

has been prominently displayed and parked at locations wherever hep C testing and information is being provided by clinical staff, assisted by HepNSW and NUAA NSW peer workers. Find out more: https://www.hep.org.au/get-involved/hepcured/

Watch WIN News Illawarra this Sunday to hear us talk about Hepatitis Awareness Week!

To promote World Hepatitis Day and encourage people to know, test and treat their hep C, Bill Lenane and Steven Drew spoke to WIN News at Bulli Beach in the Illawarra. Bill spoke about his journey to cure and Steven talked about breakthroughs in testing, the importance and accessibility of treatment and the race to elimination by 2028.

It's showtime! Our Hepatitis Awareness Day event is starting now, at !

Today the Mobile Mural van is hanging out at Redfern Oval today - if you're in the area, come say hi! We'll be here until 4pm :)
You can see the Sydney Local Health District mobile health van in the background, here to do some testing.

The campaign, along with HepNSW staff and peers, supported the hep C testing and treatment community outreach activities of the Nepean Blue Mountains local health district in South Windor on Monday. Their Mootang Tarimi clinic services communities across Nepean, Hawkesbury, Blue Mountains and Lithgow Plains. Travelling on Darug, Gundungurra and Wiradjuri countries.

The Mobile Mural was out yesterday in South Windsor, Sydney, supporting the Mobile Outreach Team of the Nepean Blue Mountains Health Local Health District for Hepatitis Awareness Week. Community hep C testing was being conducted in McLeod Park, alongside Hep NSW peer worker Jimmi, and the awesome folk of NUAA NSW, Mootang Tarimi Mobile Outreach Service, Hawkesbury District Health Service and WHOs Hawkesbury.

So much great stuff happening at - come on down!

What a gorgeous day we're having at NCIE!
Come and join the fun ☀️
Thanks for a brilliant day

A new skin on needle and syringe fitpack vending machines in the Nepean Blue Mountains LHD using our mobile mural artwork to kick off NSW Hep Awareness Week!
Doesn't it look fantastic?!? 😍

On International Drug Users Remembrance Day, we take time to remember the people whose lives were unjustly cut short due to the criminalisation and stigmatisation of people who use drugs. To us, they were more than a casualty; they were our family, friends, peers and loved ones.

If you're in the Sydney area, you can mark International Drug Users Remembrance Day by going to the memorial ceremony at:
Lawrence Hargrave Park, Potts Point.
Friday July 19,
1-2pm

Speakers this year include:
Dr Alex Wodak
Dr Marianne Jauncey
Ms Rebecca Martin (City of Sydney)

Everyone is welcome.

(In case of wet weather, the event will be moved to Wayside Chapel)

Thanks to Northern NSW Local Health District for such a great article about the work they are doing in the Lismore region to eliminate hep C! One of our awesome peers, Micha is lending a hand too :)

https://nnswlhd.health.nsw.gov.au/news/towards-eliminating-hepatitis-c

'The National Reconciliation Week theme for 2024, Now More Than Ever, is a reminder to all of us that no matter what, the fight for justice and the rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people will —and must —continue.'*
National Reconciliation Week : 27 May - 3 June.

Go to https://www.reconciliation.org.au for more info on the National Reconciliation Week theme for 2024, events and resources.



*NRW website

We're looking for a new Coordinator for our Peer Partnership Program!

This is a great opportunity to lead and run our flagship program – in partnership with our team of lived experience community peer workers – to deliver testing and care pathway initiatives for people living with, or at risk of, hepatitis C.

As the coordinator of this highly regarded and innovative program, you will:

- Coordinate and oversee the development, planning, implementation, marketing, and evaluation of peer programs, projects, and activities.
- Support opportunities to further the reach and impact of Hepatitis NSW programs, services, projects, and activities including development or redesign in response to new or emerging research, policies, and technologies.
- Recruit, train, develop and support people with lived experience of hepatitis C as peer workers.

Read more at: www.hep.org.au/about-us/work-for-us/

Applications close: 9.00am Monday 10 June 2024

We have a vacancy for a Coordinator - Peer Partnership Program A great opportunity to lead and run our flagship program – in partnership with our team of lived experience community peer workers – to deliver testing and care pathway initiatives for people living with, or at risk of, hepatitis C.

REPOST thanks to

Did you know that healthy livers:

- Perform up to 500 vital functions to support our health.

- Have the remarkable ability to regenerate and replenish lost tissue.

- Not only clean our blood and aid in digestion but also synthesise essential proteins for blood clotting, immune function, and nutrient transportation.

And yet, despite being the second largest organ in our bodies, awareness of its wellbeing remains limited.

Rising metabolic problems like obesity, diabetes, and high blood pressure is contributing to increases in liver disease and liver cancer. Liver cancer ranks seventh in cancer-related deaths in Australia, with rising rates.

Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), also known as fatty liver disease, affects at least 1 in 4 people in Australia. It also makes liver cancer risk much higher and is the top reason for liver transplants.

The good news is that with early diagnosis liver disease is treatable, and liver cancer can be avoided.

Basic actions like maintaining a balanced diet, moderating alcohol intake, and staying physically active can effectively maintain your liver’s health. Learn more at World Liver Day - LiverWELL

6 ways to love your liver on World Liver Day!

- Avoid drinking alcohol: if you drink, have no more than 2 standard drinks per day.
- Eat a healthy diet: low in fats, salt and sugar.
- Exercise daily: walk the dog, ride a bike, throw a ball around or go for a swim.
- Get vaccinations: for hep A and hep B (there is no vaccination for hep C).
- Practice safe s*x: use condoms, dental dams and l**e, so you can always be safe.
- Get regular check-ups: every 6 months if you have hep B.

Call the Hepatitis Infoline for information, support and referrals – it’s free and confidential! 1800 803 990

Or go to www.hep.org.au/liver-health to read more about your liver health

In the 70s and 80s great Aussie bands toured NSW, playing pubs, town halls, civic centres and showgrounds. At the same time, hepatitis C was quietly spreading, and it wasn’t just a city problem. These days there is good news about hepatitis C cures for people in regional NSW...it’s better by a country mile! For more information call 1800 803 990 or watch

5 hep C tips for country people | Hepatitis NSW For many people in rural regions, hep C is tough news. Health care might be far away, and there is the feeling of less privacy in rural towns. This page has five great tips to make life easier.

Thanks for the tour and great presentation on all the awesome work you do for the community, Kirketon Road Centre 😀😀😀

Welcome to the March 2024 edition of The Champion! This month, we celebrate our peers as our Empower initiative kicks off two more events, and we train new recruits in our Peer Partnership Program. Also, check out our Hepatitis NSW Speaker Service, and Perx app! Happy reading 😊

The Champion #123 – March 2024 | Hepatitis NSW This issue: The power of peers at EMPOWER Since its launch last August, Hepatitis NSW’s EMPOWER initiative—a peer-implemented 1-minute hep C antibody testing project—has been going from strength to strength thanks to the hard work and dedication of our amazing team of peers. Our peers guide pa...

Our friends on the HepB Community Forum are all about encouraging conversations between the science community and communities affected by hep B. The 2024 Research Showcase is now on and the HepB Community Forum invites hep B researchers from around the world to share their important research. If anyone from our community wishes to quiz researchers about their exciting work you too can join the Forum and your best questions will go into a draw for a $100 USD gift card. For more information go to
https://www.hepbcommunity.org/t/about-the-research-showcase-2024-category/5479

We're looking for people with lived experience of hep C to join our team of community peers - paid, casual work in the NSW Mid North Coast region. hep.org.au/get-involved/peer-partnership/

Live Hep C Free - looking for peers to join us! We’re looking for people with lived experience of hep C to be paid peer workers at Hepatitis NSW. Rewarding, well-paid, casual work, and an exciting way to be part of making hep C history.

Do you have clients who speak Mandarin? Hepatitis NSW has released our video Hepatitis B at a glance, in Mandarin.

The video explains the importance of hepatitis B testing and vaccinations, how hepatitis B is transmitted, and how chronic infections can lead to cirrhosis of the liver and liver cancer. Women are encouraged to undergo a screening for hepatitis B if they are planning a pregnancy, so that mother-to-child transmission can be prevented. Given that the majority of chronic hepatitis B infections occur in infants and young children, screening expectant mothers is vital.

All this information is laid out in a style that is easy to understand, encouraging people to visit their GP for screening and to receive a liver health examination.

Hepatitis B at a glance (Mandarin) 肝脏对人体至关重要，但是它长期受到不同物质的伤害，病毒就是其中最常见的一种。[The liver is vital to the human body, but it is susceptible to long-term damage from various substances, with viruses ...

We’re looking for people to join our growing multicultural liver health team!

This role is a great opportunity to gain some practical skills in the world of health promotion and community healthcare and we’d love to provide you with the experience to go on to further work in this space. We’re part of an exciting research study providing hepatitis B healthcare for multicultural communities in the community. There are lots of roles within the team including doing rapid finger prick testing for hepatitis B, engaging with the community, completing research intake forms with community members, and helping to organise our health promotion events.

Read more at our website:
www.hep.org.au/about-us/employment-consultancies

Link in bio

The NSW Dried Blood Spot HIV and Hepatitis C Testing Pilot, sponsored by the NSW Ministry of Health, has published its Mid-Point Evaluation report. With testing and treatment both decreasing, the health sector urgently needs testing models that are flexible and person-centred. This research study forms part of a strategy to reach more people living with or at risk of hepatitis C and HIV in order to increase the rate of testing and treatment. You can find out more and read the report, using the link below.
www.hep.org.au/the-champion-e-newsletter/the-champion-122-february-2024/

Welcome to the February 2024 edition of The Champion! It promises to be a great year for Hepatitis NSW as we recruit new staff and expand our operations to reach more people in the community. Check out our job opportunities, read all about our Cheryl Burman Award winner, Alexandra Wade, check out our Yabun Festival article and much more :)

The Champion #122 | February 2024 | Hepatitis NSW This edition... Congratulations to Alex Wade, Community outreach at Yabun, Mid-point Evaluation of DBS report available... and more!

In case you missed it, you can now watch Alexandra (Alex) Wade's glorious acceptance speech! Alex was the 2023 winner of our Cheryl Burman Award.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LsWBC9-JCBo

You can read more about Alex and her incredible achievements here: www.hep.org.au/blog/alex-wade-wins-2023-hepatitis-nsw-cheryl-burman-award/

Alexandra Wade 2023 Hepatitis NSW Cheryl Burman Award acceptance speech Alexandra (Alex) Wade, the Clinical Nurse Consultant for the Mid North Coast Liver Clinics across the Northern NSW and Mid North Coast LHDs, is the recipient...