Hep Free NYC Advocates with City Council Member Erik Bottcher (Photo credit: Max Guliani)
NYC Council Educational Briefing on Viral Hepatitis
Tuesday, March 5, 2024
On March 5, 2024, New York City Council Member Erik Bottcher and the Hep Free NYC coalition hosted an educational briefing on Hep B and C in New York City for Council Members and their staff at 250 Broadway in Lower Manhattan. Over 50 community partners and local government officials attended.
Meg Chappell, Program Manager at the Empire Liver Foundation, gave an overview of the NYC Council’s Viral Hepatitis Initiative, a group of Council funded programs that provide Hep B and C prevention, patient and peer navigation services; clinical services; and community and clinical education and training.
Julie Y. Yoshimachi, Director, Hep B Program at the Charles B. Wang Community Health Center, discussed the many barriers to Hep B vaccination, care, and treatment in communities across NYC. Dr. Yoshimachi called for more resources for Hep B programs due to the increase in newly reported Hep B cases in NYC. Binh Ly, a patient advocate with the Hep B Foundation, shared his personal story of being diagnosed with Hep B and seeking treatment.
Ashley Magnussen, a Hep C Peer Navigator at Greenwich House, told attendees about her experience being diagnosed with Hep C after a history of injection drug use, and affirmed the importance of peer services in connecting people with Hep C to care and treatment. Sara L. Taki, Chief Medical Officer at Greenwich House, explained the effectiveness of current Hep C curative treatments and called on Council Members to support NYC’s viral hepatitis elimination plan.
Hiawatha Collins, Community and Capacity Building Manager at the National Harm Reduction Coalition, voiced the ongoing need to prioritize harm reduction and address stigmatizing language when providing services to people who inject drugs. Collins also called for the expansion of the Hep C Peer Program and increase the hours and pay for peer navigators who connect people who inject drugs with Hep C prevention and treatment.
At the briefing, Sarah Braunstein, Assistant Commissioner of the Bureau of Hepatitis, HIV, and STI at NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (NYC DOHMH), delivered brief remarks expressing the DOHMH’s commitment to the viral hepatitis community. Marie Bresnahan, Director, Training, Policy, and Administration for the Viral Hepatitis Program, presented surveillance and program data from the Hepatitis A, B, and C in New York City: 2022 Annual Report and updates on our progress toward NYC Viral Hepatitis Elimination Plan implementation. Council Member and Health Committee Chair Lynn Schulman, Council Member Keith Powers, and Council Member Bottcher spoke at the event.
After the briefing, Hep Free NYC held a forum for patients and providers on viral hepatitis elimination advocacy.
Last Updated on April 15, 2024 by HepFree NYC
