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

 Speak Out about Viral Hepatitis on World Hepatitis Day 2013

Hep C Connection has organized three awareness raising activities for World Hepatitis Day 2013 to take place in Downtown Denver on July 26 and 27, 2013.  You, your colleagues, friends, and family are invited!

 Activity # 1

• You'll be assigned a wise monkey movement (see no evil, hear no Evil, or speak no evil)
• As a group, we'll perform the 3 movements of the wise monkey, led by a local celebrity
• We'll count the number of participants, take pictures and submit them to World Hepatitis Alliance
• The Guinness World Record will be broken if more than 12,588 persons perform the three wise monkey actions within 24 hours of World Hepatitis Day

Singers Needed for Viral Hepatitis Complaints Choir!  

• No prior experience needed!
• You'll be singing lyrics that describe the hardship of going through treatment for HCV, but the benefits of making it to the other side - being cured!
• Sung to the tune of "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot"
• Click here to see last year's performance!

Day: Saturday, July 27, 2013
Time: Approximately 6:00 PM
Location: Greek Amphitheatre of Civic Center Park (14th and Bannock, Denver, CO)

Activity # 3

Raise a Ruckus!

Encourage people to get tested and increase awareness by -

• Waving signs
• Being loud
• Getting drivers to honk!

The United States Preventive Services Task Force Announces a Grade B for Screening Baby Boomers

Screening for Hepatitis C Virus Infection in Adults

U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) Recommendation Statement

Released June 25, 2013

Complete Statement

In July 2012, the USPSTF released a draft recommendation of a grade C for baby boomers (persons born in 1945 through 1965) to do a one-time screening test for the hepatitis C virus.  The USPSTF then invited the public to comment on the draft. Physicians, community partners, advocates, health care workers and the general public voiced their opinions.  One year later, the task force released a final statement with an upgrade to a grade B!  The grade B recommendation means -

• A one-time hepatitis C test will now be standard of care for all baby boomers.
• The test will be a preventive service under the Affordable Care Act which means that medical insurance companies will have to cover the cost of the test.

The reason that baby boomers should get this test is because according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention they represent approximately 75% of the people with the virus and most are unaware they're infected.  Get tested! 

Patients: 

If your year of birth is between 1945 and 1965 and you have not been screened for hepatitis C, make sure that your nurse of physician orders an HCV test at your next annual wellness checkup. 

Physicians:

Make sure to ask your baby boomer patients if they've been tested for hepatitis C.  Order the test if they say they have not been tested.

Articles of Interest

6/20/2013 / Abbott Press Release
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Abbott's RealTime HCV Genotype II test.  It is the first hepatitis C genotype test to be approved by the FDA.  The test is used  by doctors to determine the specific strain or genotype of the hepatitis C virus which is then used to determine the best treatment regimen for the patient.  This new test has been shown in clinical trials to reduce the amount of total assay time and hands-on time per each sample.
Full Press Release

Additional Article

Interferon-based Therapy Benefited HCV/HIV Coinfected Patients Despite Viral Relapse

6/12/2013 / Healio Infectious Disease News

Recent study results show that patients co-infected with HCV/HIV that go through treatment for their hepatitis C infection and relapse (patients whose viral load decreases to undetectable or near undetectable levels but then is detectable after the end of treatment) have significantly fewer adverse liver health events than patients considered nonresponders (patients whose viral load does not decrease significantly after the start of treatment).  Co-infected patients that relapse should know that treatment, while not successful, may have provided some health benefits.

Full Article 

6/10/2013 / HCV Advocate

Read about the magnitude of how disproportionally affected baby boomers, African Americans, and Latinos are by hepatitis C.  As well as how you can support reducing this disparity by advocating for

New York State legislation A1286/S2750.

Full Article

Voice your opinions on Hepatitis C and earn $50 or more!

Featured Clinical Trials

National Hepatitis Testing Day and World Hepatitis Day Sponsors

  Hep C Connection thanks the following sponsors of National Hepatitis Testing Day and World Hepatitis Day in Colorado -

Desserts & Delights - Along the Yellow Brick Road

A dessert buffet at Desserts & Delights 2012

The Desserts & Delights Planning Committee is busy seeking silent and live auction items for Hep C Connection's annual fundraising event, Desserts & Delights - Along the Yellow Brick Road. 

We are currently seeking -

• Jewelry
• A designer purse
• A snow board 
• A Colorado rafting trip for two
• A one night stay in a Colorado mountain town hotel or 3 night stay in an exotic locale
• & gift certificates to restaurants (support your favorite restaurant and Hep C Connection at the same time!) 

Please contact Sascha Larsen-Helbing, slh@hepc-connection.org, if you are interested in donating or volunteering on our Desserts & Delights planning committee.