ART COMPETITION AT DILLWYNIA AND SILVERWATER

A flashback to Hepatitis Awareness Week 2024 and a shout out to Dr. Danielle Resiak and Tracey Brown of Justice Health who organised a truly creative art competition for the women of Dillwynia and Silverwater Correctional Centres. Hepatitis NSW were pleased to attend and partner with colleagues from Justice Health, Jailbreak Radio, Corrective Services NSW and Population Health.

Participants were invited to share and interpret their experience of, and the actions that they took to deal with their hep B and hep C. There was hep C health promotion and testing with plenty of delicious baked goods, culminating in the announcement of competition winners.

“During this event, which toured both Centres, across the maximum and minimum facilities and throughout the single cells, I had the honour of engaging with 200 women as a Peer Educator, spruiking hep C awareness and also our services and resources including the Infoline, and Hep Infopacks.” JD, Hepatitis NSW

A BUSY OCTOBER FOR OUR HEP B TEAM!

The sounds of spring accompanied an incredibly busy month for our Hep B Team! We kicked off our activities on October 2nd with the Migrant Info Day at Rockdale Town Hall in collaboration with Georges River and Bayside Councils and Advance Diversity Services. On the 15th, we had an information stall at Auburn Hospital to promote Liver Health Month. The very next day, we were invited to the CASS Senior Health Info Day at the Marana Auditorium in Hurstville, where we continued our outreach efforts.

Throughout these events, we had the opportunity to engage in meaningful conversations with a diverse range of visitors, including healthcare professionals and elderly Chinese community members. A major focus of our discussions was correcting the misconceptions around hep B and increasing awareness of the complexity of hepatitis B.

We’ve been developing our engagement strategies, and what started as a ping pong ball game to answer hep B questions has now evolved into a fun dart game! This new approach has proven very popular and effective in drawing people in and raising awareness about this important issue.

Special thanks goes to our student placements Shein and Zhenzhu for their incredible language skills, which helped bridge communication with our visitors. Their support in setting up and packing down our stalls was invaluable. Wishing you both all the best in your future endeavors, Shein and Zhenzhu!

If you are interested in gaining knowledge about hepatitis B, feel free to contact Hepatitis NSW.
We can conduct info sessions in English, Chinese and Korean. (Mina, Hepatitis B and Multicultural Liver Health Team)

HEPATITIS NSW PEERHUB FORUM

On Thursday 3rd of October, the Peer Partnership Team, JD and Liam, held the inaugural PeerHub Forum. The forum was attended by twenty members of the Peer Partnership Program and Empower Team, all with lived experience of hep C and treatment.

The PeerHub aims to further build “belonging and ownership”, vitally important to a team spread across NSW and whose members are frequently flying solo at community and corporate engagements.
The PeerHub forum also allows delivery of training with the benefit of live Q & A and the sharing of engagement experiences.

Uplifting language and supportive ideas arising from the first iteration of PeerHub were…

‘Being brave’, ‘Giving back’, ‘Share you own experience’, ‘Helping other people’, ‘Diverse communities and different cultures’, ‘Connecting with community’, ‘Gratitude’, ‘Engagement’, ‘To help people know it’s going to be okay’, ‘Learning new things’, ‘Fighting stigma and discrimination’, ‘Meeting inspirational people and hearing their stories’.

“It was truly warming to see the respectful, inclusive nature of all the participants. There was space for everyone and a true sense that PeerHub has ongoing meaning and purpose.”
Liam, Coordinator, Peer Partnership Program.

POSITION VACANT! PROJECT OFFICER, HEPLINK NSW

Applications close Tuesday, 5 November at 5:00pm.

Hepatitis NSW has a great opportunity for someone to grow and implement a program utilising testing and care pathway initiatives for people living with, or at risk of, hepatitis C. This new Project Officer role, for an innovative program, will develop, deliver and review HepLink NSW projects and activities.

HepLink Australia is a Commonwealth Department of Health funded initiative managed by Hepatitis Australia including Hepatitis NSW. HepLink Australia incorporates a range of services including information, supportive brief interventions, peer support, referral and linkage, individual advocacy and workforce support. The HepLink NSW project addresses issues related to hepatitis C care pathways.

We are looking for an enthusiastic person to develop and support the implementation and delivery in the community of peer led Dried Blood Spot (DBS) testing, along with linkage to hepatitis C treatment and care. This work aims to reduce the personal and social impact, and the incidence and transmission of hepatitis C through community-based testing, linkage to treatment and care.

The Project Officer will also be responsible for maintaining, enhancing and updating our website’s Local Service Directory.

The successful applicant will be part of the Community Support and Engagement team developing, growing and delivering innovative and practical people-focused programs to support the elimination of viral hepatitis in NSW by 2028.

Applications close Tuesday, 5 November at 5:00pm.

If this sounds like a job you’re interested in, for more information and how to apply >>> PLEASE CLICK HERE.

KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM INHSU 2024, ATHENS GREECE

Our Coordinator, NSW POCT Programs and Research, Pip, reports back from INHSU:

From 8-12 October 2024, I joined more than 670 people from 50+ countries in Athens, Greece for the 12th International Conference on Health and Hepatitis in Substance Users. This event was incredibly inspiring, with a strong focus on how lived-experience peer workers are transforming hepatitis C care globally. It was incredible to see the passion and commitment from community members, clinicians, and researchers to constantly improving service delivery and ensuring access to care.

A major highlight of the conference was seeing the impact of peer-implemented and peer-led initiatives. This was especially clear in the workshop on “exploring the role of peer-nurse partnerships on hep C elimination” hosted by representatives from Australia and the UK and attended by a wide range of people from varied backgrounds.

I also had the opportunity to present an abstract on our EMPOWER initiative, sharing our success in Sydney so far. Through this model, peer workers are instrumental in breaking down barriers to hep C testing in the community and growing rapport with our key populations.

The conference was an invaluable opportunity to meet and hear from organisations from around the world, leading to insightful story-sharing and fostering new connections which will undoubtedly influence future work. Some that have personally stood out are the incredible work by the Hepatitis C trust in the UK and Club Eney in the Ukraine.

This event was a powerful reminder of progress towards 2030 elimination goals, and what we as a global community can achieve.

HEPATITIS NSW HITS THE KOORI RADIO AIRWAVES

Hepatitis NSW are delighted to work with Koori Radio, Live and Deadly 93.7FM, to promote testing and cures for hep C. Tune in to Koori Radio for the best in music, news, current affairs and the talented Kamilaroi voice-over artist and Hepatitis NSW staff member, Maia.

“Yaama, you Mob. How important is your liver, eh?
Fights disease, stores energy and cleans your blood too.

A disease called hep C slowly damages the liver,
but hep C is easily cured with meds once a day for 8 or 12 weeks.

Many of our Mob don’t know if we have hep C,
but a checkup at our local Medical Service can get us
tested and cured.

Chat to your doctor about liver health & the hep C cure
or ring the Hepatitis Infoline, 1800 803 990.”

BUSY IN BRISSIE

Maria and Steve represented Hepatitis NSW at the annual National Hepatitis Educators Event 2024, brilliantly organised by our generous hosts, Hepatitis QLD funded by AbbVie and Hepatitis Australia. We heard from wonderful speakers and it was a rich opportunity to exchange ideas on the theme of hepatitis elimination through education. We look forward to gathering again in 2025.

WORLD HEPATITIS TESTING WEEK 18 to 24 NOVEMBER

Hepatitis Australia announces World Hepatitis Testing Week starting 18 November. It’s a global effort to encourage people to get tested for hepatitis B and hepatitis C. Early detection is key to reducing the risk of liver cancer, and testing is the first step towards accessing life-saving care.

Did you know that hepatitis B and hepatitis C are leading causes of liver cancer? Both infections can be prevented or managed with appropriate treatment, but millions remain undiagnosed.

Almost 300,000 people in Australia are living with hepatitis B or hepatitis C, putting them at increased risk of liver disease and liver cancer.

They shouldn’t have to.

• Hepatitis B has effective treatment and a vaccine.
• Hepatitis C has a cure and is preventable.

You can get involved and show your support by downloading and sharing the below campaign resources.

CAMPAIGN RESOURCES

Download and share the toolkit. Which includes:

• Social media tiles
• Zoom backgrounds
• Banner graphics
• Email signature block
• A4 poster
• Example posts and hashtags, and links to editable templates

FIND OUT MORE

AUSTRALIA’S HEALTH PANEL

CHF is planning for the next federal election and would like to hear your opinions on what the next government should prioritise for Australians and their health. We want to hear from as many consumers as possible to help shape our thinking. We have created an online survey to capture your thoughts. The short, anonymous survey is run through our Australia’s Health Panel portal.
If you’re aged 18 or older and live in Australia, you can join the panel and complete the election survey.
Your voice helps us advocate for change! Register to join AHP today to receive this and future surveys.

BEYOND THE C

Beyond the C is a national partnership program providing general practices with support to find people who may be living with hepatitis C virus and engage them with care. By joining Beyond the C, your practice will be making a difference in people’s long-term health outcomes and contribute towards Australia’s goal of eliminating hepatitis C nationally by 2030.
For more info and to register download the flyer.

The Champion is our free monthly eNews with updates on hep C, hep B, treatment news, social media campaigns, living well with viral hepatitis, and events. To subscribe and receive a monthly edition of the The Champion to your inbox, please complete this confidential form: