Bring Hepatitis Awareness in to the Public Arena

Last year, I asked hepatitis advocates for ways we can increase hepatitis awareness. Two responses stood out:

Daniel Raymond, Policy Director for the Harm Reduction Coalition suggested, “We want everyone with hepatitis C to have access to care and treatment, but that won’t happen if they don’t have access to health care in the first place. If your state isn’t expanding Medicaid for low-income people, speak out! A simple email or phone call to your elected officials--local, state or federal--can be a powerful thing. On many issues, they interpret silence as apathy. Let them know you care about hepatitis C, and you expect them to care too.” 

Chris Taylor, Associate Director of Viral Hepatitis, National Alliance of State & Territorial AIDS Directors (NASTAD) said, "Not everyone has time (or energy) to walk the halls of Congress to share their stories, but sending an email or letter, or making a telephone call to a Member of Congress, Governor, State Legislator, Mayor, City Councilor, Health Department Director can go a long way in raising awareness. For more information on things you can do, please review the Viral Hepatitis Advocacy Toolkit." Check out the CDC’s list of the Viral Hepatitis Prevention Coordinators for every state, who you can contact to find out what opportunities are occurring in your area.