PEER WORKER RECRUITMENT

Hepatitis NSW is expanding our peer-implemented hepatitis C testing EMPOWER project by recruiting more people with lived experience of hep C to become community testing peer workers.

We are currently looking for peer workers to join us who live in the Metro-Sydney area.
Comprehensive paid training will be provided so no previous experience is required. Peer workers will work closely with the Program Coordinator, fellow peer workers, other Hepatitis NSW staff, and healthcare partners to deliver this community testing program. Our peer workers help make access to appropriate healthcare simple, quick, and barrier-free for people living with or at-risk of hepatitis C.
The role requires light physical demands such as transporting and carrying resources. A NSW driver’s licence is a bonus but not a requirement. This role is casual, paid hourly, and the work is irregular. Outreach sessions are usually 3-6 hours long and once per week.

Contact Kyle at kleadbeatter@hep.org.au or
Pip at pbray@hep.org.au for further information.
Expression of interest form here: https://forms.office.com/r/YWpEcSc4xN

#HEPCURED OUTREACH IS TOURING NSW

As part of Hepatitis Awareness Week leading into World Hepatitis Day on 28 July and beyond, Hepatitis NSW delivers our annual hep C campaign throughout July. The campaign consists of a wide range of awareness raising, health promotion and testing events, as well as NSW-wide advertising across multiple platforms and settings, including our popular mobile mural, train station billboards, regional bus panels, posters in washrooms, and social media.

For information and event dates follow this link:
https://www.hep.org.au/get-involved/hepcured/

DBS HEPLINK FUNDING TO CONTINUE TO JUNE 2026

We are very happy to advise that our NSW HepLink DBS program has secured funding to continue its work through to June 2026!

Since launching in February 2025, HepLink DBS has tested over 200 people across numerous sites. With a strong focus on reaching those most in need, we’ve partnered with homelessness services and community centres to deliver free, accessible, finger prick dried blood spot hepatitis C testing directly to many previously untested people.

What sets HepLink DBS apart is its mobile and flexible testing model, which allows the team to bring services directly to the community. Testing is peer-led and follow up – with participant consent – is also provided by peers, helping support people with positive results. This assists those who might have difficulty navigating their care pathway to find follow-up services for testing and treatment. Looking ahead, HepLink DBS plans to expand into regional areas, ensuring that people in underserved and remote communities also have access to life-changing and lifesaving hepatitis C testing and treatment.

This continued funding – from the Commonwealth Department of Health and Aged Care, via Hepatitis Australia – marks a significant step forward in the fight against hepatitis C, helping to close the gap in healthcare access for people in priority communities, and support Australia’s broader public health goals.

Stay tuned for updates as HepLink DBS continues to grow and reach more communities across the state.

More info: Contact Gracey at gwoods@hep.org.au

LIVERCARE CABRAMATTA

On 4 June, our Priority Population & Settings team and UNSW Kirby Institute hosted a highly successful LiverCare event at the Cabramatta Senior Citizen Centre, specifically collaborating with the Vietnamese community. We’re thrilled to announce that 45 individuals received hep B, hep C, and Fibroscan tests, marking a new record for our events!

This achievement wouldn’t have been possible without the invaluable support of our Vietnamese-speaking casual workers and the dedicated Liver Clinic clinicians from Liverpool Hospital. Their hard work and commitment were key to the event’s success.

We were also pleased to have Dai Le MP, the federal Member for Fowler, the deputy mayor of Fairfield City Council and the Hepatitis Australia General Manager attend the event. Our guests’ presence underscored the importance of our LiverCare program and the well-being of the Vietnamese community.

PLAY YOUR PART

Hepatitis NSW’s Aboriginal Community Engagement Program Officer, Maia, presented to the South Eastern Sydney LHD team about working with Aboriginal peoples.  He covered the topics of hep C and Aboriginal people, priority populations and social and cultural determinants, as well as speaking to the underlying issues that Aboriginal peoples face every day outside of their health needs.

Maia’s presentation was widely praised for being engaging, informative, and a pleasure to listen to. Attendees appreciated the practical tips on how to respectfully engage with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, especially the clear guidance on what to avoid. Feedback revealed that attendees found the session educational, learning new ways to provide culturally safe and inclusive care.

Visuals like the iceberg image and the map of cultural determinants of health were particularly impactful in highlighting underlying issues and the importance of a “no rush” approach. Maia was described as a proud, knowledgeable, and relatable presenter whose lived experience added authenticity.

NADA CONFERENCE 2025

With the theme “Strength in Community: Building a brighter, kinder future” the Network of Alcohol and other Drugs Agencies (NADA) Conference 5 – 6 June at Sydney’s International Convention Centre had a diverse line-up of keynote speakers, breakout presenters and other people driving innovation and showcasing their great work in supporting community.

Hepatitis NSW were able to celebrate the amazing milestone of our hepatitis C peer-led programs having engaged over 20,000 people through interactions with peer workers over the course of 7 years.

The two days displaying our poster The Strength of Lived Experience gave us the opportunity to discuss the important work of community engagement in initiating hepatitis C healthcare through peer-led models of care. We were also able to forge new relationships and celebrate the work of our friends and partners in the AOD sector.

PEER AND COMMUNITY WORKER SUMMIT

Hepatitis NSW was pleased to participate in Hepatitis Australia’s two-day Peer And Community Summit on 5 & 6 June.  The Summit brought together peer workers, program managers and sector allies from across the country to connect with others in the field, learn from each other, and share practical insights. Each hepatitis organisation sent lived expertise representatives who were brimming with great ideas and fresh perspectives on how to collaborate and support each other to reach hepatitis B and C elimination targets.

The first day saw excellent representation from Hepatitis NSW peers and program managers with Earl, Imogen, JD and Liam on hand to discuss the commitment of our organisation to the wellbeing and effectiveness of our peer worker teams.

The second day saw our Hepatitis B & Multicultural Liver Health team present. Our two fantastic Multicultural Health Workers, Van and Tam demonstrated exceptional skill and dedication, participating in the major discussions of the day. Mina presented “A typical day of a hepatitis B worker”, sharing strategies for success in reaching communities.

Hepatitis Australia’s initiative in creating a forum for lived experts is one that was welcomed by all involved, with the aspiration that this first summit will become a regular event for peer workers and their allies to create a safe, inclusive and supportive space recognising the importance of a thriving lived experience workforce engaged in hepatitis B and C education and elimination.  All of us are grateful to Hepatitis Australia for creating this much needed space to collaborate and connect with people from across Australia. 

GALAMBILA VISIT

Maia, Hepatitis NSW’s Aboriginal Community Engagement Program Officer, visited Galambila Aboriginal Health Service to deliver an educational workshop around Mob and Hep C. Six Aboriginal Health Workers attended across the different services that Galambila provides – GP, Mental Health, Psychology, Cultural- Men and Women’s Business and Aged Care to name a few!

This workshop was an important opportunity to yarn about hep C in a way that connects with our mob. We looked at what hep C is, how it affects the liver, and how treatment has changed—especially since 2016 with the introduction of Direct Acting Antivirals (DAAs) that can cure hep C.

We talked about the impact on our communities here in NSW, sharing the latest stats, and focusing on our priority groups like young people and those in custody. Through interactive activities like the Hepatitis NSW resource “Transmission Game”, we explored how hep C spreads, how testing works, and importantly, how stigma and discrimination can affect our people. It was empowering to focus on resilience and to look ahead at how we can support our mob toward better liver health and strong futures.

2ND ASIA PACIFIC CONFERENCE ON POINT OF CARE TESTING FOR INFECTIOUS DISEASES

Hepatitis NSW attended and contributed to the 2nd Asia Pacific Conference on Point of Care Testing for Infectious Diseases held in Bangkok from 18-22 June. 

The conference brought together leading experts, healthcare professionals, and researchers from across the Asia-Pacific region and showcased innovations in point-of-care testing, discussed strategies for implementation, and addressed challenges relating to equitable access and healthcare integration.  A feature was the diversity of presentations on the implementation of point-of-care testing in diverse settings, including the community, community-led services, Indigenous-led services, primary care clinics, antenatal care clinics, women’s health clinics, HIV and sexual health clinics, drug treatment clinics, needle/syringe programs, mental health clinics, refugee/migrant health services, mobile health clinics, prisons and tertiary hospital-based care. 

Hepatitis NSW contributed with a presentation by Community Testing and Treatment Coordinator Pip on Peer-implemented point-of-care antibody testing for hepatitis C infection to enhance linkage to hepatitis C RNA testing and treatment: the EMPOWER study as part of the Voices from the Field: Stakeholder-Driven Innovations in Point-of-Care Testing session. 

Our Community Support and Engagement Program Manager Grace contributed to the conference with a poster presentation on Comparing Dried Blood Spot & Point of Care testing cascade of care outcomes. 

Particularly exciting was the showcasing of the important, significant and valuable role of lived experience peers in designing, implementing and delivering point-of-care, health promotion and holistic, person-centred health care and services within and for their community.  This is a key focus and area of activity at Hepatitis NSW for many years, and it is gratifying to see the role of lived experience peers getting the recognition it deserves. 

AUSTRALASIAN HEPATOLOGY ASSOCIATION DINNER

NSW Hepatology nurses held their annual masterclass at Royal Prince Alfred (RPA) Hospital in May, with many informative sessions on liver health and viral hepatitis. A dinner for members of the Australasian Hepatology Association was hosted the night before, and both Kyle and Grace from Hepatitis NSW attended to present some current programs and collaborations with our nursing colleagues.

Kyle spoke on the recent successful launch of the LiverCare program with point of care (POC) testing of hep B and hep C testing in multicultural communities. He also updated on the continuing work with EMPOWER, our peer-implemented hep C POC testing project. Both are sub-studies of the Kirby Institute National HCV POCT program. Grace presented on the peer-led Dried Blood Spot (DBS) testing work we are doing for our Hepatitis Australia/ Commonwealth Department of Health and Aged Care funded HepLink DBS project.

Guests at the dinner also heard from Hepatitis Australia’s Andrea about finding the people still living with hep C and yet to be cured.

We’d like to thank the Mid North Coast LHD’s Alex, hepatology nurse, and longtime partner of Hepatitis NSW, for the opportunity to speak and network at the dinner. It was a great dinner among many familiar and friendly faces. (Pictured: l-r Andrea (Hepatitis Australia), Alex (Mid North Coast LHD and Australasian Hepatology Association’s Secretary), Grace and Kyle (Hepatitis NSW)).

RECONCILIATION WEEK

Maia, JD, Saysana and Emma attended the Truth-telling event hosted by the Centre for Social Justice & Inclusion at UTS on 29 May 2025 as part of Reconciliation Week. We were privileged to hear from a distinguished panel as they offered their insights into truth-telling and how it offers a path to better awareness, understanding and connections across communities. On the panel were…

1. Lorena Allam (Guardian Australia’s first Indigenous Affairs editor journalist)
2. Kate Grenville (renowned author, most recently releasing Unsettled: A Journey Through Time and Place)
3. Lindon Coombes (Industry Professor and Director at Jumbunna Institute for Indigenous Education and Research at UTS)
4. Mariko Smith (Head of First Nations Collections & Research at the Australian Museum)
5. Robynne Quiggin (Pro Vice-Chancellor, Indigenous Leadership and Engagement at UTS)

This session was informative, content rich, challenging, motivating, and inspiring. For our staff the highlights included:

• Simply being there and hearing the contributions of the panelists, which were exceptional. They have each, in their unique way, told their story, spoken the truth and reckoned with Australia’s torrid past to strive towards improvements for a better present and future.
• The content of the session, which although it necessitated discomfort, was also encouraging and affirmative; and
• The reminder that truth-telling is one part of what is required from all Australians. That truth-listening is also necessary to create a better awareness of Indigenous struggles, hopes, aspirations, and stories, to build a more united Australia.

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