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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. Please contact the leader before attending.
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
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
For information regarding support groups in other states, please call our HelpLine at 800-522-HEPC (4372) |
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Dear Friend,
Welcome to the February 2015 edition of
Connections!
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Ways to Love Your Liver this February
| Here are some ways to love your liver if you have a hepatitis C infection:
- Protect yourself from hepatitis A and B - get immunized
- Eliminate alcohol, tobacco, and illicit drugs from your life
- Discuss all prescription medications, vitamins, minerals, and herbal supplements that you're taking with your gastroenterologist
- Eat a low-fat, low cholesterol, low sodium, high-fiber diet with lots of fruit and vegetables. Go here for recipe ideas.
- Drink 6 to 8 glasses of water a day (replace sugary drinks with water)
- Eat dark chocolate - perfect for Valentine's Day!
There are many other ways to love your liver. Check them out here.
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Hep C Connection Celebrates 20 Years of Service
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Hep C Connection opened for business in 1995, thanks to Ann Jesse and a group of hepatitis C patients and health professionals. From the outset, we have lobbied at the Federal and State levels for funds to raise awareness and to promote prevention, testing and treatment.
Through the years, we have successfully:
- Established a hepatitis C appropriation from the Colorado General Assembly beginning in 2000 and still in force, and then successfully defended it in difficult financial times;
- Passed a 2014 recommendation to all Colorado primary care physicians to test baby boomers for the hepatitis C virus. We were one of three states to make this happen last year.
- Added Worker's Compensation coverage of job-related exposure to or contraction of hepatitis C for peace officers, firefighters and emergency services providers in 2003;
- Passed Senate Joint Resolutions recognizing Hepatitis Awareness Month, National Testing Day and World Hepatitis Day.
As members of the Chronic Care Collaborative and Colorado Organizations Responding to AIDS, we ensure that patients are protected against discrimination, adverse legislative or regulatory action, and that our point of view and unique characteristics are heard by policy makers.
In our role as members of the Hepatitis Appropriation Partnership and National Viral Hepatitis Roundtable, we have lobbied members of Congress and their staff regarding more funds for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, while providing important education in the process.
Twenty years later, we are seen as strong advocates for patients with the hepatitis C virus, due in part to our understanding that this is a population that doesn't engage in public processes and that this disease can no longer be overlooked.
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Upcoming Events
|  The Center for African American Health's 13th Annual Health Fair
Saturday, February 28, 2015
8:30 am - 3:30 pm
Renaissance Denver Hotel
3801 Quebec Street
Hep C Connection will provide FREE rapid HCV testing and education to health fair attendees. Other free services at the fair will include massage therapy, visits with health experts, complete physical and medical history exams, among other health related activities. View additional information here.
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"The Incredible Recent Revolution in Hep C Treatment"
|  You are invited to learn about the new treatments for hepatitis C while enjoying a free dinner! Jacob Langness, Pharm D, BCPS will present information to metro Denver community members on the latest treatments approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for treating hepatitis C. Jacob will also discuss risk factors and why someone should be tested for hepatitis C. He invites anyone affected by hepatitis C, friends and family members of those affected, and anyone who thinks they may be at risk for a hepatitis C infection to the presentation. Community Educat10nal Forums is an HIV support group that organizes educational presentations every month. Learn more about the presentation here. No RSVP is required*.
Dinner and presentation information:
Date: Tuesday, February 10, 2015 Time: Free Dinner 6 pm / Forum 6:30 pm Location: Community Room at Our Saviors Lutheran 9th & Emerson (lower level, enter on the side from Emerson St) Sponsored by - TEN (Treatment Educat10n Network),
- AbbVie
- and, the University of Colorado
*If you have dietary restrictions and plan to attend, please let Community Educat10nal Forums know by emailing: forums.colorado@gmail.com |
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Patient Advocate Network
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 Hep C Connection is in the process of recruiting patients for our new patient advocate network. These volunteers may speak to state or Congressional legislators and reporters about the need to increase access to treatment for hepatitis C, so they need to be comfortable with this level of dialogue and with providing their names when they speak (cannot be anonymous). We will provide all training and will determine your legislators, find the opportunities to speak, and work with you on messaging. People who have been:
- denied treatment by Colorado Medicaid because they do not have a fibrosis score of 3 or 4
- denied treatment by their private insurance company because they do not meet prior authorization criteria
- previously treated and want to increase access for all people
would make great advocates, but everyone is welcome. Contact Nancy Steinfurth at 720-917-3965 or nsteinfurth@hepc-connection.org if interested in being a part of this advocacy effort. |
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Articles of Interest
| Express Scripts' Miller Says Hepatitis C Price War to Save Billions
1/22/2015 / Reuters / Caroline Humer
The high price of new treatments for hepatitis C has left many patients feeling overwhelmed about access to the new drugs. The high prices have also left private and public insurance companies reviewing their preferred drug formularies, adding criteria that only allow coverage of the new drugs for patients with advanced liver disease. However, now that there are a few different treatment options for patients, the pharmaceutical companies that make the new hepatitis C drugs are competing and to make contract deals with some of the largest medical insurance companies and pharmaceutical benefit managers in the U.S. These contracts are lowering the price of the new treatments. Read about some of the deals being made here.
Merck Will No Longer Sell its Victrelis Hepatitis C Drug in the U.S.
1/21/2015 / The Wall Street Journal / Peter Loftus
By the end of 2015, Victrelis, a protease inhibitor approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for treatment of hepatitis C (HCV) in 2011, will no longer be available in the U.S. Incivek, another protease inhibitor approved by the FDA to treat HCV in 2011, was removed from the U.S. market in October, 2014. The demand for these two protease inhibitors has greatly decreased due to advancements in HCV treatment options made over the last year. Learn more about the removal of Victrelis and Incivek in the full article.
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Financial Resources
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Looking for financial resources? Here are two foundations offering financial support to eligible patients that have been prescribed medication for their hepatitis C infection but can't afford the co-insurance requirements -
Patient Access Network
Maximum Award Level: $15,000 Per Year
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Featured HCV Clinical Trials
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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.
If you are in the metro-Denver area,
South Denver Gastroenterology, PC invites you to call Kelly Braun, Clinical Research Coordinator, at (303) 406-4288 if you're interested in future studies.
University of Colorado Hospital invites you to call (303) 724-1876 if you are interested in participating in a clinical trial at the Hospital.
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Desserts & Delights
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We are beginning to plan our annual fundraising event, Desserts & Delights. Please contact Sascha Larsen-Helbing ( slh@hepc-connection.org) if you would like to volunteer on our planning committee. We need volunteers to solicit auction items, increase awareness of the event through social media, and to help plan the evening.
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