UHS Hepatitis C Program

National Awareness Week is intended to help the healthcare community advocate for reducing barriers to LGBTQ persons by creating and maintaining safe, inclusive and welcoming environments - and ensuring quality, accessible and non-discriminatory health care.

Here we strive to reduce barriers to care by providing HCV treatment, linkage to care services, case management, education, peer support, treatment adherence counseling, and referrals to community agencies in a non-discriminatory and stigma-free environment.

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Prevention and Testing at Every Age.
Care and Treatment at Every Stage.

In the United States, about 23% of people living with HIV are women and, in 2019, women made up 18% of new diagnoses.

On this National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, we stress the importance of getting tested, knowing your risk, and talking to your health care provider about prevention and treatment options.

ATTENTION RESIDENTS of Broome, Chenango, Delaware, & Tioga counties‼️
Do you or someone you know have Hepatitis C?
DYK that UHS Hepatitis C Program offers financial incentives in the form of gift cards to patients who complete treatment through our program?
Our team also assists with insurance coverage, transportation, virtual appointments, and prescription delivery.
Let us treat and cure your Hepatitis C!

For more information or to schedule an appointment contact our team @ 607-762-2810

WE CURE HEP C!!

Could you be at risk? Millions of Americans have hepatitis C, but most do not know that they are infected with the virus. Many people can live with hepatitis C for decades without feeling sick, meanwhile the virus is causing liver damage and potentially spreading to other people.

If you have any risk factors or are around people with risk factors, you should be tested for hepatitis C. Routine screening leads to early detection. Early detection of the virus can save your life!

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Share the love ❤️ Donate life!!

National Donor Day celebrates those who have signed up as official organ donors, while also shedding light on the large queue of patients awaiting crucial medical transplants.

DYK? Complications related to hepatitis C are a leading cause of liver transplants in the United States. The human body cannot survive without an efficient liver. For many patients diagnosed with hepatitis C a liver transplant is critical for survival.

This February 14th, consider becoming an organ donor AND getting tested for hepatitis C. You could end up saving your own life as well as the lives of others.

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National Condom Awareness Day is a day dedicated to highlighting the importance of safe and consensual s*x, promoting positive s*xual health, and celebrating healthy s*xual relationships.

DYK? Using condoms and l**e can help prevent blood-to-blood contact during a**l s*x, rough vaginal s*x, and while a woman is menstruating. When used properly, condoms are an effective means to preventing the s*xual transmission of hepatitis C.

Concerned you may have been exposed to hepatitis C? Getting tested is easy! Ask your healthcare provider about hepatitis C screening and treatment options.

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Today is National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (NBHAAD), a day dedicated to raising awareness about the disproportionate impact of HIV on Black/African Americans, and the importance of increasing access to HIV prevention, testing, and treatment services.

Together, when we work to overcome structural barriers to HIV prevention, treatment, and care, we help reduce HIV-related disparities and health inequalities in Black/African American communities.

DYK? Cardiovascular disease is the No. 1 killer of women, causing 1 in 3 deaths each year, but the simple truth is that most cardiovascular diseases can be prevented with education and healthy lifestyle changes.

Go Red for Women is no longer just about wearing red, it’s about all women making a commitment to stand together and take charge of their own health as well as the health of those they can’t bear to live without.

Start prioritizing your heart health this February! Knowledge is power! Learn more about heart disease and stroke @ www.goredforwomen.org

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Sharing needles, syringes, and other equipment (works) to prepare and inject drugs puts people at high risk for getting and transmitting Hepatitis C and HIV.

Hep C and HIV can easily spread when a person comes into contact with drug injection equipment that is contaminated with infected blood, even in amounts too small to see.

People who inject drugs account for about 1 in 10 HIV diagnoses in the United States and approximately 80% of new Hep C cases are transmitted via injection drug use. Protect yourself and others by using new, clean works every time you inject.

Talk to your health care provider about routine screening for both Hep C and HIV.

? All adults over the age of 18 should be screened for Hepatitis C. Take a proactive role in your health. Talk to your health care provider about Hep C testing and treatment.

Early detection could save you liver and your life!

Get tested
Get treated
Get cured

Ringing in the New Year for many means setting goals we would like to accomplish in the year ahead. With many people setting goals in health and wellness, it is appropriate that January is National Staying Healthy Month. During this month, we want to draw awareness to the importance of evaluating your physical health and taking steps towards staying healthy.

Begin by looking at your physical health over the past few months. Has anything changed recently with your health? Do you have any new symptoms or areas of concern with your health? If the answer is yes to any of these, consider scheduling an appointment with your health care provider to discuss your concerns.

When meeting with your health care provider, ask to be screened for Hepatitis C. Liver health is vital to our overall health. Early detection of Hepatitis C could save your life!

#2023

It can take time for chronic hepatitis C to cause serious symptoms. But that doesn’t mean it is safe to delay treatment. Starting treatment early may lower your risk of developing complications from the illness, including liver scarring and liver damage. The longer you wait to begin treatment, the longer the virus has to cause potentially life threatening damage to your liver.

Thanks to recent breakthroughs in treatment, antiviral medications can cure more than 90 percent of cases of hepatitis C.

What are you waiting for? Talk to your health care provider about treatment options asap!

January is a month with special focus as we highlight issues related to cervical cancer, HPV disease, and the importance of early detection. More than 14,000 women in the United States are diagnosed with invasive cervical cancer each year. Nearly every case of cervical cancer can be prevented with effective vaccines and routine screenings (Pap tests and HPV tests).

Become an advocate for your own health and well being, talk to your health care team about ways to reduce your risk of cervical cancer.

Along with Pap and HPV tests, the CDC recommends that all adults 18 years of age and older be screened for hepatitis C. Throughout the United States cases of hepatitis C among women of childbearing age continue to rise. Routine screening is key to early detection.

Putting your health first should be a priority! Take an active role in your health by scheduling an appointment to be screened for hepatitis C. Early detection could save your life and your liver!

Alcoholic liver disease is caused by heavy use of alcohol. The liver’s job is to breakdown alcohol. If you drink more than your liver can process, it can become badly damaged.

Approximately 30% of people with alcoholic liver disease have hepatitis C. If you have hepatitis C and drink alcohol, you are far more likely to develop cirrhosis than if you didn’t drink.

Liver health is vital! Think before you drink AND know your hepatitis C status!

The liver performs over 500 functions that detoxify our bodies and keep us healthy. When the liver becomes inflamed or damaged, its function is negatively affected. When the liver stops performing its normal functions liver failure can occur.

The hepatitis C virus can cause extensive liver damage. Give yourself the gift of good health this season. Get tested for HCV!

DYK? Hepatitis C is a serious viral infection that can affect people of all ages. The infection leads to liver inflammation and if left untreated, can cause permanent damage to the liver. The hepatitis C virus is usually spread when someone comes into contact with blood from an infected person.

This can happen through:
- sharing of drug injection equipment
- workplace exposures
- from mother to baby at birth
- sharing of personal items
- unregulated tattoos and body piercings
- s*x with an infected person

Worried you may have been exposed to HCV? Talk to your healthcare provider about testing and treatment.

When left untreated in its chronic state, the impacts of Hep C often become more consequential as the liver is more significantly impacted. With a long term, untreated condition, many people develop mild to severe chronic liver disease, leading to scarring of the liver known as cirrhosis. Cirrhosis negatively affects liver function which can lead to liver cancer and even death.

Early detection is key to combating Hepatitis C! Ask your healthcare provider about testing and treatment. It could save your life!

Today is , a day to unite with others around the world to prevent HIV, support people with HIV, and remember those who have lost their lives to an HIV-related illness.

We can

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Join us @ Truth Pharm tonight to learn about Hep C resources available through UHS

The Rainmakers started compiling a list of people who should get tested for Hep C. We're passionate about this because one of our Rainmakers, Irene, passed away due to impacts Hep C had on her liver when she was younger.

Here's what the Rainmakers came up with so far. Did we miss anyone?

Come tonight to learn more, it's free!
👉 People who have multiple s*x partners (unprotected)
👉 anyone who had a Blood transfusion before 1980
👉 people who had an HCV-positive mother at birth
👉 People who have shared snorting straws
👉 people who have injected drugs and borrowed or shared works.

👉Well this is surprising, I googled and CDC says anyone age 18 to 79! (From Kathy!)

Anything else?

Join us as we participate in Transgender Awareness Week to help raise the visibility about transgender people and address issues members of the community face.

Transgender patients may be at higher risk for contracting hepatitis C due to socioeconomic and behavioral factors. Rates of HIV and injection drug use are higher among transgender people, and transgender people may inject hormones or soft tissue fillers. Sharing or use of contaminated needles, syringes, or vials represents a possible risk factor for infection with blood borne pathogens, including hepatitis C. Providers should offer screening to ALL transgender patients regardless of risk factors.

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Attention residents of Broome, Chenango, Delaware, and Tioga counties!!! 📢📢📢 ? The UHS Hepatitis C Program provides treatment, linkage to care services, case management, treatment adherence counseling, education, peer support, and referrals to community agencies.

If you or someone you know has been diagnosed with Hepatitis C contact our team today!!

Without treatment, hepatitis C may lead to liver disease, liver failure, and liver cancer. Early diagnosis and treatment can prevent these complications. Most people infected with HCV do not experience symptoms.

The ONLY way to know you have hepatitis C is to get TESTED!

Routine screening for HCV could save your life!!

Hepatitis C affects all walks of life! Historically, HCV infection was highest among the baby boomer population, the opioid epidemic is likely why new infections have shifted to younger adults, including those of reproductive age. HCV screening is recommended for all adults over the age of 18.

Find out your status!
Get tested!

Had a great time tabling with at the DEA Drug Take Back Day. We enjoyed educating community members about Hepatitis C and PrEP.

PrEP is for anyone - straight, gay, bis*xual or pan. PrEP is for people of any gender expression - male, female, transgender or non-binary. No matter who you are, no matter what your story is YOU can take PrEP to prevent HIV.

Check out www.nyuhs.org/care-treatment/aids-hiv-services for information on services provided at UHS Binghamton Primary Care

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The AIDS Institute has designated October 24-31, 2022 as PrEP Aware Week. Over the last 10 years, more than 70,000 New Yorkers have made the decision to prevent HIV by taking PrEP. These are some of their stories: health.ny.gov/prepfors*x