The Champion #116 – July 2023

This issue:

1. HEP CURED: Our Game Changer Mobile Mural roadshow is promoting hep C testing and treatment across NSW
2. Yarnin’ About Hep B
3. World Hepatitis Day Event at NCIE
4. Our new video in Mandarin: Hepatitis B at a glance
5. Hep C Outreach at NAIDOC Event at Kimberwalli
6. Employment Opportunity at Hepatitis NSW: Aboriginal Program Officer
7. Beyond the C: Calling GPs to help eliminate hep C in Australia, and receive a $1,500 reimbursement payment

HEP CURED: Our Game Changer Mobile Mural roadshow is promoting hep C testing and treatment across NSW

Our HEP CURED hep C health campaign has kicked off for NSW Hepatitis Awareness Week 2023! Throughout July and early-August, we are raising awareness of hep C testing, treatment and cure. Our collaboration with Local Health Districts (LHDs) across NSW is delivering local events connected to our HEP CURED campaign. Our lived-experience hep C Peers are working alongside health staff, providing an invaluable bridge by engaging with members of the community and clinical outreach services.

The HEP CURED Mobile Mural—a bold visual billboard artwork mounted to the back of a truck—has been accompanying LHD events around Greater Sydney and NSW regional areas. We kickstarted the itinerary at Sydney’s Redfern Oval on 17-18 August with staff from Sydney LHD, and other services including the Redfern Aboriginal Medical Service and NSP. Hep C testing services—including Dried Blood Spot (DBS) testing and liver fibroscans in the Mobile Van, were offered to members of the local community.

Hepatitis NSW is excited to collaborate with our LHD partners through the HEP CURED mobile mural campaign travelling to other hepatitis services, providing staffing support and brand merchandise. This year, a key HEP CURED Mobile Mural stop includes the Lismore Liver Clinic, which was closed due to the devastating flooding in the region in 2022. In celebration of the Liver Clinic re-opening, the HEP CURED campaign tour supports the staff of the Mid-North Coast and Northern NSW LHD to officially re-launch with MC, local celebrity, Mandy Nolan.

Watch out for the HEP CURED campaign – not only through the Mobile Mural tour, but our media advertising placements on billboards, street banners, posters in public washrooms, and advertising on Sydney trains throughout July. The HEP CURED campaign blazes promotion of the availability and effectiveness of game changer direct acting antiviral hep C treatments that cure. It encourages our communities to engage with health care and referral pathways—which also consists of starting the conversation via our 1 800 803 990 Hepatitis Infoline.

ENTER THE #HEPCURED SOCIAL MEDIA COMPETITION

As part of Hepatitis Awareness Week in 2023, you can follow our #HEPCURED Mobile Mural as it travels around NSW, from 17 July – 4 August 2023. This billboard artwork, travelling on the back of a truck, is getting the #HEPCURED message on the road, into communities across NSW, for people to see. Tag yourself on your social media (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok) in the #HEPCURED competition to win 1 of 3 $100 gift cards!

Find out where the #HEPCURED Mobile Mural is touring in July-August and enter the competition >>>CLICK HERE

Yarnin’ About Hep B

Hepatitis NSW is happy to announce that we’re launching our new booklet Yarnin’ about hep B. This is a companion to the popular Yarnin’ about hep C booklet printed in 2017.

Aboriginal people are disproportionately affected by hepatitis B, so this is a key resource to help support the Close The Gap Campaign that aims to close the health and life expectancy gap of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

We drew on consultation from community focus groups, with clinical advice from Aboriginal Health Care Workers and specialists who work with Aboriginal people. The design and artwork were created by Aboriginal artist Jasmine Sarin.

Copies of the booklet will be included in Hepatitis Information Packs that are distributed to Aboriginal people and at community education events. This will support our aims relating to screening of all pregnant women, childhood vaccination, diagnosing, monitoring and treatment of hepatitis B, as well as addressing stigma and discrimination.

LHDs and partner organisations can order these resources from our website or download the PDF.

To download the PDF from our website >>>CLICK HERE

World Hepatitis Day Event at NCIE Friday 28th July is World Hepatitis Day, a very important event in the Hepatitis NSW calendar. We are holding our event at the National Centre for Indigenous Excellence (NCIE) where we will highlight efforts around the elimination of viral hepatitis C and B, applaud successes, highlight existing needs, and most importantly, hear from the communities who are most affected. We will have a full report in the next edition of The Champion.

Our new video in Mandarin: Hepatitis B at a glance

Hepatitis NSW has just released our new Youtube video Hepatitis B at a glance, in Mandarin.

One of our strategies is to reach out to communities with a higher prevalence of hepatitis B, such as the Chinese community. Around 87 million Chinese people are currently living with the virus, and given that many people who live with hepatitis B have no visible symptoms, it’s important to reach out with information on transmission, screening and vaccinations.

The video explains the importance of hepatitis B testing and vaccinations, how hepatitis B is transmitted, and how chronic infections can lead to cirrhosis of the liver and liver cancer. Women are encouraged to undergo a screening for hepatitis B if they are planning a pregnancy, so that mother-to-child transmission can be prevented. Given that the majority of chronic hepatitis B infections occur in infants and young children, screening expectant mothers is vital.

All this information is laid out in a style that is easy to understand, encouraging people to visit their GP for screening and to receive a liver health examination.

Hep C Outreach at NAIDOC Event at Kimberwalli

On 4th July our Hepatitis NSW Peer Workers Will and Jimmi took their outreach to a NAIDOC event at Kimberwalli, an Aboriginal Centre for Excellence in Western Sydney. They joined the Western Sydney LHD van, and clinical nurses to raise awareness about hepatitis C, and offer screening for blood borne viruses.

The rainy weather did not deter a continuous stream of attendees from enjoying the rides, stalls and giveaways, and over fifty people engaged with the van for liver related discussions, screening, and hepatitis C point-of-care testing. It was a great turnout with a great result, despite initial concerns of the event being a washout!

Employment Opportunity at Hepatitis NSW: Aboriginal Program Officer

Hepatitis NSW is delighted to be advertising for the role of Program Officer – Aboriginal Community Engagement at Hepatitis NSW. This is a full-time, 35 hours per week role.

This role is a fantastic opportunity to drive meaningful engagement and genuine health improvement for and with Aboriginal people and communities across NSW. The main drawcards of this role include:

• A truly statewide reach working with Aboriginal people and communities in urban, regional, and remote areas of NSW
• The opportunity to play a leading role in the hepatitis B and C response amongst Aboriginal communities in NSW
• Organising health promotion events in community with on-site healthcare using innovative rapid and finger prick testing
• The opportunity to raise the voice of Aboriginal people affected by hepatitis B and C
• The flexibility and autonomy to drive the role and focus of the program in line with the needs of Aboriginal communities
• Working for an organisation with a great reputation, great workplace culture, and rewarding work

Full details and application portal can be found on the job advertisement on Ethical Jobs here.

Applications close 5:00pm Wednesday the 9th of August.

Beyond the C: Calling GPs to help eliminate hep C in Australia, and receive a $1,500 reimbursement payment

The Australasian Society for HIV, Viral Hepatitis and Sexual Health Medicine (ASHM) has launched its partnership program Beyond the C as part of a national initiative to eliminate hepatitis C by 2030.

Chronic hepatitis B and C are the leading causes of liver cancer, which is the fastest increasing cause of cancer death in Australia. Treating hepatitis C will help to greatly decrease the incidence of liver cancer, but this involves reaching those affected.

Beyond the C is a new national program that calls on GPs and other health professionals working in primary care to sign up and help locate the approximately 117,800 Australians who have hepatitis C.

Practices that complete the project will receive a $1,500 reimbursement payment.

To register with the program >>>CLICK HERE