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

Upcoming Events 

9Health Fair
Hep C Connection will offer free hepatitis C testing with a rapid test and educational material at the following 9Health fair:

                                            Sunday, June 1  

Fillmore Auditorium

1510 Clarkson St

Denver, CO  

8:00 am - 12:00 pm 

Denver PrideFest

PrideFest is one of Hep C Connection's largest outreach events of the year. On average, 250,000 individuals attend PrideFest in Denver.  We'll be offering attendees free hepatitis C screening with a rapid test, hepatitis C educational material, and referrals to local health and social resources. Event details:

Civic Center Park

Denver, CO 

Saturday, June 21 

11:00 am - 7:00 pm  

and 

Sunday, June 22

10:00 am - 6:00 pm

May was Hepatitis Awareness Month 

Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper Signs Hepatitis C Bill

On Monday, May 19, 2014, Governor John Hickenlooper signed bill number SB14-173 which formally recommends that primary care doctors provide hepatitis C screening to anyone born between 1945 and 1965.  Hep C Connection Chair Jolene McKenna gave impassioned testimony about why this is important to baby boomers.  Of the 3.2 million people in the U.S. with hepatitis C, including approximately 85,000 Coloradans, most were born between 1945 and 1965. Up to 75 percent of those infected do not realize it.  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) have recommended one-time screening of Americans born from 1945 through 1965. This testing is covered by insurance plans due to a provision in the Affordable Care Act that mandates coverage of USPSTF-recommended preventive services. We're at a critical point.  "Hepatitis C is the leading cause of catastrophic liver damage, including cirrhosis, liver failure and liver cancer, yet it can take decades to cause symptoms and be diagnosed.  We are grateful to Gov. Hickenlooper and state lawmakers for improving access to hepatitis C screening for baby boomers, who make up 75 percent of American adults infected with the virus," said Nancy Steinfurth, executive director of Hep C Connection.     

Denver City Council Declared May 19, 2014 as Hepatitis Testing Day in the City and County of Denver

Nancy Steinfurth provides supporting remarks for the Testing Day Proclamation and Dr. Sarah Rowan waits to speak.

Eight Colorado Organizations Offered Free Hepatitis C Testing to the Public

Hep C Connection, under contract with Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, organized eight hepatitis C testing sites throughout Colorado for National Hepatitis Testing Day on May 19, 2014.  Baby boomers and anyone with a risk factor were offered free hepatitis C testing with a rapid test.  Hep C Connection staff offered the testing in Denver's Webb Municipal building and tested 37 individuals for hepatitis C.  Throughout Colorado, 74 people were tested on this day.

Articles of Interest 

Drug Diversion in Health Care Settings Can Put Patients at Risk for Viral Hepatitis 

5/2/2014 / Kimberly New / Blog.Aids.Gov

Drug diversion can occur in a health care setting when someone other than a patient takes a portion or all of the patient's prescribed medication.  Hepatitis C and other infectious diseases can be spread if proper drug administration protocols and procedures are not followed.  Clinical policies exist that aim to reduce the occurrence of this illegal action.  However, it is important that patients, their family members and friends, and the clinic staff are aware of the warning signs of potential drug diversion.  Read more about drug diversion in the Full Article . 

FDA Reminds Health Care Professionals to Stop Dispensing Prescription Combination Drug Products with More than 325 mg of Acetaminophen

4/28/2014 / U.S. Food and Drug Administration  

Taking too much acetaminophen can cause liver damage.  The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has published a reminder for health care professionals to stop prescribing and dispensing medications with more than 325 mg of acetaminophen.  People with hepatitis C should avoid taking drugs or supplements that are known to cause liver damage.  They should also talk with their doctor before taking any new over-the-counter or prescribed medication, supplement, or vitamin.

 Full Article    

 Diversity is Needed in Clinical Trials 

Featured HCV Clinical Trials

Buy Your Tickets for a Day of Baseball in the Rocky Mountain West to Increase Awareness of Vial Hepatitis - World Hepatitis Day is Just Around the Corner!

World Hepatitis Day is an annual event held on July 28 and this year, Hep C Connection invites you, your family, and friends to a Rockies baseball game to recognize this very important day.  It'll be a fun afternoon of baseball that raises funds for Hep C Connection's prevention and support programs and increases awareness of the global burden of liver disease. We hope you'll join us in cheering on the Colorado Rockies as they go up against the Pittsburgh Pirates.  You'll be on the edge of your seat as the Rockies, ranked 22nd in the 2013 regular season, play their best to beat the Pirates, a team that finished just two spots ahead of them in 20th place.  Here are the details on the game:

The Colorado Rockies against the Pittsburgh Pirates

Date: Sunday, July 27, 2014

Time: 2:10 P.M.

Price: $35/ticket

Seats: Section 117, rows 25 through 30

To purchase tickets: Call (720) 917-3965 or send an email to Nancy Steinfurth, nsteinfurth@hepc-connection.org