masthead
Issue # 63

April 2013
In This Issue
Support Groups
Upcoming Events
Articles of Interest
New Hep C Connection Support Group
New Hep C Connection Interns
Featured Clinical Trials
D&D 2013
Facebook
Quick Links
Join Our List
Join Our Mailing List
 

Colorado Hepatitis C Support Groups

 

For individuals infected with hepatitis C and family members affected by hepatitis C.  Free and confidential monthly meetings.  New members always welcome.

 

Metro-Denver

 

 
New Downtown Denver
Whittier Community Center
2900 Downing St.
3rd Tuesday
6:00 - 7:30 pm
Leslie: (720) 560 4016

Englewood
Englewood Library
1000 Englewood Pkwy.
Last Tuesday
6:30 - 8 pm

Beverly: (720) 231-2264

  
Lakewood
Shepherd of the Hills Church
11500 W. 20th
2nd Wednesday
6:30 - 8 pm
Betsy: (303) 940-4901
    

 

Statewide

Boulder

YWCA
2222 14th St.
Main Floor Mtg. Rm.
2nd Wednesday
6 - 7:30 pm
Debbie: (303) 817-4938

 

Fort Collins
Poudre Valley Health Systems
2121 E. Harmony
3rd Floor
Last Wednesday
6:30 - 8 pm
Jerry: (970) 214-2912

Colorado Springs

3210 E. Woodmen Rd. Suite 110 

3rd Tuesday
6 - 7:30 pm
Abby: (719) 761-3710

Pueblo
Coming in April 2013!

 

For information regarding support groups in other states, please call our HelpLine at 800-522-HEPC (4372)

 Dear Friend,


  Welcome to the April 2013 edition of
Connections! 
                 
Upcoming Events
        
Wednesday, April 20
  
Chris Wolf, RN Educator, will discuss the current standard of care in HCV treatment, including dosing schedules, potential side effects, stopping rules and tips for complying with your regimen. Hep C Connection will provide information on nutrition, specialty pharmacies, and support services.  This is a great class for anyone that is about to start treatment or considering treatment for a chronic hepatitis C infection
Holiday Inn Cherry Creek
Larimer Boardroom
400 S. Colorado Blvd.
Denver, CO
5:30 - 7:30 pm
  
Hep C Connection is excited to participate in the following 9Health Fairs! (All fairs below are from 7 am to noon.)  Click here to register for a 9Health Fair!

 

 

April 6

Regis University

3333 Regis Boulevard, Denver, CO

 

April 13

Holy Cross Lutheran Church

4500 Wadsworth Boulevard, Wheat Ridge, CO

  

Nederland Community Center

750 North Highway 72, Nederland, CO

  

April 14

St. Anthony North Hospital

 2551 West 84th Avenue, Westminster, CO

 

April 15 & 16*

Mississippi Ave Baptist Church

 13231 East Mississippi Ave, Aurora, CO

 

April 19

Trinity Church at Downtown YMCA

25 East 16th Ave, Denver, CO

 

April 21

Littleton Adventist Hospital

7700 South Broadway, Littleton, CO

 

April 22 & April 23*

Augustana Lutheran Church
5000 East Alameda Ave, Denver, CO
  
April 24
Porter Adventist Hospital
2525 South Downing Street, Denver, CO 
  
April 25 & 26*
Longmonth United Hospital at Bethlehem Lutheran Church
1000 15th Ave, Longmonth, CO
  
April 26
Front Range Community College Westminster
3645 W 112th Ave, Westminster, CO
 
April 26 & 27*

Christ Center Community Church

 2700 S Lemay Ave, Fort Collins, CO

 

 April 28

Parker Adventist Hospital

9395 Crown Crest Boulevard, Parker, CO

 

*9Health Fair will be offering hepatitis C screening for the first time ever this year! Only 4 health fair sites will offer HCV screening but the number of sites may increase in the future if individuals use this service this year.  Hep C Connection staff and volunteers will be at the above 9Health Fair sites to answer questions and discuss HCV risk factors with health fair attendees.

Articles of Interest

Even Moderate Drinking may be Risky with Hepatitis C

Reuters

03/15/2013

Researchers recently published study results that show an association between a chronic hepatitis C infection and an increased risk for all cause mortality and death from liver disease in patients with a chronic hepatitis C infection that consume alcohol in moderate or excessive amounts.  Read about the study design and the recommendations.

Full Article

 

Roche Gets FDA Approval for Hepatitis C Therapy Response

Fox Business
03/06/2013

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a new hepatitis C viral load test - the COBAS AmpliPrep/Cobas TaqMan HCV Test, V2.0.  The test will accurately detect and quantify the amount of HCV virus. Physicians monitor patients' response to hepatitis C treatment medications during and after treatment to determine the necessary length of treatment and its success. 

Full article


Human Livers Kept 'Alive' Out of Body in Donor Breakthrough
Tom Peck / The Independent

03/15/2013

Oxford University scientists have successfully designed and built a machine that properly handles a liver outside of a body for many hours while surgeons and recipients are located and prepared for liver transplant surgery.  This innovation could mean that many more donated livers will be functionally acceptable for liver transplant surgery.

Full Article


Hep C Connection Welcomes New HCV Support Group Leader

Downtown Denver has a new HCV support group!  We invite anyone affected by hepatitis C to attend the new support group or any of the other Hep C Connection support groups in Colorado.  The Downtown Denver group meets at Whittier Community Center, 2900 Downing Street, on the 3rd Tuesday of the month from 6:00 - 7:30 pm. Dr. Leslie Hannon is the facilitator and can be reached at (720) 560-4016.  We recommend calling the group leader before attending. 

 

Dr. Hannon, Hep C Connection Support Group Leader

Leslie Hannon, Psy.D. is originally from upstate New York, and earned her undergraduate degree in Psychology from Syracuse University. After working as a substance abuse therapist for several years, she moved to Denver to pursue higher education. She earned both a Master's and a Doctorate degree in Clinical Psychology from the University of Denver, and she has since worked in a variety of settings, including private practice, community mental health, Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs), and in legal settings. In her spare time, Dr. Hannon enjoys cooking and spending time outdoors.


Hep C Connection Welcomes 3 New Interns

Three awesome interns are working at Hep C Connection this Spring.  Dana Kennedy and Stephanie Cole began their internship in January and Emmylou Babcock began her's at the end of March.  They are working on various outreach, quality assurance, and fundraiser projects.  Read about Dana's work below and look forward to hearing about the other interns in future editions of Connections! 

 

Dana Kennedy, Marketing and Outreach Intern
As the Marketing and Outreach Intern, Dana works to expand the reach of Hep C Connection. She connects with organizations around Colorado to ensure that they're aware of the services and resources available through Hep C Connection.  Dana is currently in her last semester of the Master of Public Health program at the University of Colorado where she has spent the last two years building her skills to increase access to health care for underserved populations.  When not at school or work, Dana can be found riding her bike, cooking vegan feasts for her friends or catching up on issues of the New Yorker, which  keep piling up in her apartment.  

Featured Clinical Trials

Hep C Connection features one or more clinical trials happening in the Denver-Metro area in each issue.  For more information call the contact person listed below.  To find clinical trials in your city, visit www.clinicaltrials.gov or call us at 1-800-522-HEPC and we can walk you through the website.

  

University of Colorado Hospital invites you to call Michael Cookson at (303) 724-1876 if you are interested in participating in a clinical trial at the Hospital.

 

South Denver Gastroenterology, PC is currently recruiting for the following three studies -

 

A Phase 3 study that evaluates the efficacy and safety of Sofosbuvir/GS-5885 with or without Ribavirin for 12 and 24 Weeks.  Eligible patients have a genotype 1 hepatitis C virus infection and have never been treated for the infection.

 

A Phase 2 study that evaluates the efficacy and safety of the combination regimen of MK-5172 and MK-8742 with or without Ribavirin (RBV).   Eligible patients have a chronic hepatitis C virus infection and have never been treated for the infection.

 

They are also recruiting for a study to evaluate the safety and efficacy of Rifaximin 550 mg with and without lactulose in subjects with a history of recurrent overt hepatic encephalopathy.

 

If interested in any of these three studies, please contact Sherry Rogers, CRC at South Denver Gastroenterology, PC, 303-406-4139.

Desserts & Delights 2013

We have begun planning our 2013 major fundraiser event - Desserts & Delights - and this year we are adding a theme!  Desserts and Delights Along the Yellow Brick Road emphasizes the human virtues of caring, courage, and intelligence when dealing with hepatitis C as well as the fun side of life!  We are busy collecting auction items and planning the event.  Please contact Sascha Larsen-Helbing at slh@hepc-connection.org or (720) 917-3972 if you are interested in helping with the planning or donating an auction item.

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FB Like

We recently transitioned from a Facebook Profile to a Facebook Page.  If you haven't already done so, please "like us" to continue receiving Hep C Connection updates throughout the month. www.facebook.com/hepcconnection