Hep Free NYC Advocates with City Council Member Lynn Schulman
NYC Council Educational Briefing on Viral Hepatitis
Tuesday, February 26, 2026
On Thursday, February 26, 2026, more than 43 New York City (NYC) Council Members, their staff, and provider and community partners attended the NYC Council Briefing on Viral Hepatitis at 250 Broadway in Manhattan.
NYC Council Health Committee Chair Lynn Schulman gave opening remarks. Council Member Tiffany Cabán and Council District 3 Candidate Carl Wilson were in attendance, along with staff representing Council Members Ossé, Krishnan, Lee, Maloney, and Council Speaker Menin.
Robert Desrouleaux, Assistant Program Director, Hepatitis C Mentor and Support Group (HCSMG), emceed the briefing and presented on the community Viral Hepatitis Prevention Initiative budget request of $5 million for Fiscal Year (FY) 27. Jeannine Garriga, Outreach Coordinator, HCMSG, presented a history and overview on the NYC Council Viral Hepatitis Prevention Initiative.
Erin Swepston, FNP, AAHIVS, Clinical Advisor, and Director of the Viral Hepatitis Program at the NYC Health Department, presented preliminary 2024 hepatitis B and C surveillance data for NYC. She also highlighted actions by the federal administration that have presented challenges to NYC’s viral hepatitis elimination efforts, including the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC’s) removal of the universal hepatitis B birth dose recommendation and she shared information on the joint NYS and NYC Health Advisory and Dear Colleague letter, which restate that in New York, recommendations to vaccinate infants within 24 hours of birth for hepatitis B remain unchanged.
Julie Yoshimachi, DNP, Director of the Hepatitis B Program, Charles B. Wang Community Health Center, explained current challenges in hepatitis B testing, vaccination, and treatment in NYC. Fatima Omarufilo, Patient Navigator, Montefiore Starfish Program, shared a story about a patient who recently died of hepatitis-B-related liver disease. Binh Ly, Patient Advocate, Hepatitis B Foundation, spoke about his personal experience as a patient with hepatitis B.
Helen Adams, PA, Mount Sinai Institute for Liver Medicine, spoke about the ongoing barriers to hepatitis C testing and curative treatment, and Peter Rodriguez, a Patient Advocate at BOOM! Health, shared about his experience as a patient going through the hepatitis C cure and the positive difference it has made in his life. Ronni Marks, Executive Director at HCMSG, gave closing remarks.
Take Action Now: Every NYC organization, health care provider, and patient affected by hepatitis B and C can support advocacy to increase funding for the Viral Hepatitis Prevention Initiative.
Contact Your NYC Council Member. Call and meet with your NYC Council Members and share information about hepatitis B and/or C in their Council District. Use the one pager on the community Viral Hepatitis Prevention Initiative budget request for FY 27 (here) and the 2024 maps of newly reported chronic hepatitis B and C cases by City Council Districts (here) to support your advocacy efforts.
Last Updated on March 20, 2026 by HepFree NYC
