Hep Free NYC Meeting Highlights | 09-10-2025

Hep Free NYC Meeting Highlights | 09-10-2025

A Joint Hep B Coalition & Hep C Task Force Meeting

September 10, 2025 (2 – 4 PM)

Attendance: See below

Presentations

The Health of Immigrants in New York City (2025) Overview
Max Hadler, MPH, Senior Director of Policy and Immigrant Initiatives, Office of Health Care Access and Policy, NYC Health Dept – mhadler@health.nyc.gov
Martha Alexander, MPH, Data Communications Outreach Analyst, NYC Health Dept – malexan1@health.nyc.gov

• View presentation here.
• Immigrant adults (15%) are nearly twice as likely as U.S.-born adults (8%) to not have health insurance. Immigrants who are Latino (26%) or born in Mexico (46%) are most likely to lack insurance.
• Immigrants are more likely than U.S.-born New Yorkers to work in service professions (30% vs. 18%), which includes many social service and health care support roles and other positions that sustain New Yorkers’ well-being.
• Resources
  • Joint Office of the Governor and Office of the New York State Attorney General Guidance to Private and Non-Profit Organizations and Entities
  • Open Letter to Immigrant New Yorkers
• For more information on Immigrant Health Care, visit nyc.gov/immigranthealth

Convening a Statewide Advisory Group to Increase Access to Hep C Treatment for People Who Inject Drugs (PWID)
Kara Burke, MPH, Bureau of Hepatitis Health Care and Epidemiology, NYS Health Dept – kara.burke@health.ny.gov

• View presentation here
• Purpose: To improve access to and acceptability of Hep C treatment among PWID
• Advisory group convened over a period of six months to select the top 5 strategies.

• Read the final report: Addressing Barriers to Hep C Treatment Access Among People Who Inject Drugs in NYS

Potential Changes to Hep B Vaccination Recommendations
Michaela Jackson, MPH, MS, Prevention Policy Program Director, Hep B Foundation – michaela.jackson@hepb.org

• The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) is meeting on September 18 and 19 to discuss the potential removal of the longstanding Universal Hep B Birth Dose.
  • Background: Approximately 90% of babies exposed to Hep B develops chronic Hep B, placing them at risk for liver cancer in their lifetime. With routine Hep B vaccine birth dose, the U.S. saw a 95% decrease in infant infections.
  • Impact of Change: Removing the universal Hep B birth dose vaccination is a missed opportunity to protect children from lifelong infection and future progress to eliminate viral hepatitis in NYC.

Hep Free NYC Committee Updates

Advocacy Committee Update
Jeannine Garriga, Patient Navigator, Boom!Health – jgarriga@boomhealth.org

• View presentation here
• Check out the New York City FY2026 Adopted Expense Budget
• Upcoming Advocacy Committee events
  • Viral Hepatitis Community Meeting | October 7 @ 4 – 6 PM | In-Person
  • November 2025 Viral Hepatitis Kickoff Meeting
  • January 2026 Funding Application training
  • January 2026 NYC Council Educational Briefing on Viral Hepatitis
  • March 2026 Health Committee Hearings
• Join Hep Free NYC Advocacy Listserv for updates
• Interested in joining the Advocacy Leadership Committee, email megchappell@empireliverfoundation.org and joycambe@empireliverfoundation.org

Announcement:

• Alliance for Positive Change is showing Rise Up!, a documentary exploring all the ways positive change unfolds through the lens of Alliance’s one-of-a-kind Peer training program, at the Cinema Village from September 12 – 18! Grab some popcorn and support them! View flyer here.

Attendance:

1. Alejandra Poma, apoma@bmsfhc.org
2. Alexis Brenes, abrenes@health.nyc.gov
3. Alexis Fields, alexis.fields@downstate.edu
4. Allison Lemkin, alemkin@health.nyc.gov
5. Alma Chaves, achaves@health.nyc.gov
6. Alondra Villar, alondravillar1114@gmail.com
7. Annmarie Challenger, annmarie.challenger@nychhc.org
8. Ashley Daniel, adan@co.ulster.ny.us
9. Batya Koenigsberg, koenigsb@nychhc.org
10. Carl Tyler, ctyler@sunriver.org
11. Carlos Velez, cvelez@ph.lacounty.gov
12. Charlotte Miller, charlotte.miller@mountsinai.org
13. Chibuzo Enemchukwu, enemchuc1@nychhc.org
14. Crysta Anderson, crysta.anderson@tn.gov
15. Derett, derett.jepson@abbvie.com
16. Diana Diaz Munoz, ddiazmunoz@health.nyc.gov
17. Erica Finfer, efinfer@health.nyc.gov
18. Eunice Han, eunice@kcsny.org
19. Farah Riazi, friazi@health.nyc.gov
20. Farma Pene, fpene@health.nyc.gov
21. Fatema Lovely, flovely@health.nyc.gov
22. Fernando Valerio, fvalerio@chnnyc.org
23. Ginny Shubert, g.shubert@housingworks.org
24. Jaccqueline LaPene, jlapene@nnychhc.org
25. James Learned, jlearned@thefamilycenter.org
26. Jeannine Garriga, jgarriga@boomhealth.org
27. Jielei Wong, jielei.wong@nyulangone.org
28. Jennifer Malins, jennifer.malins@phila.gov
29. Joelle Bodetaj, bodetaj@nychhc.org
30. Joy Cambe, joycambe@empireliverfoundation.org
31. Julia Cohen, jcohen8@health.nyc.gov
32. Juliana Bennison, jbennison@gmail.com
33. Julie Lazaroff, jlazarof@health.nyc.gov
34. Julie Yoshimachi, jyoshimachi@cbwchc.org
35. Justin Chen, jchen@cbwchc.org
36. Kara Burke, kara.burke@health.ny.gov
37. Karina Escamilla, kescamilla@latinoaids.org
38. Kelsey Wooden, kelsey.stillman@doh.wa.gov
39. Kiara Aviles, kaviles@afterhoursproject.org
40. Kimberly Jamison, kjam@co.ulster.ny.us
41. Liz Tang, ltang@health.nyc.gov
42. Luis Worrell, luis@alliance.nyc
43. Makayla Tey, makayla.tey@uhtx.com
44. Maha Attieh, maha@aafscny.org
45. Marguerite LeLaurin, lelaurim@nychhc.org
46. Maria Munar, mmunargonzalez@llhd.org
47. Marie Bresnahan, mbresnahan@health.nyc.gov
48. Martha Alexander, malexan1@health.nyc.gov
49. Martha Giardina, martha.giardina@mountsinai.org
50. Mary Chiang, mchiang@cbwchc.org
51. Max Hadler, mhadler@health.nyc.gov
52. Maxwell Wallace, rrrr55@icloud.com
53. Medesa Garrett, mgarrett@sunriver.org
54. Meg Chappell, megchappell@empireliverfoundation.org
55. Melanie Esty, melanie.esty@flhealth.gov
56. Michaela Jackson, michaela.jackson@hepb.org
57. Natalia Caraballo Soto, natalia.caraballo-soto@flhealth.gov
58. Natalia Gonzalez Varela, gonzalen27@nychhc.org
59. Perla Romero, perla@alliance.nyc
60. Rahel Yosief, ryosief@health.nyc.gov
61. Raquel Cruz, rcruz@bmsfhc.org
62. Reed Vreeland, rvreeland@health.nyc.gov
63. Reginald Idlett, reginald.idlett@mountsinai.org
64. Richard Figueroa, rfiguero@nychhc.org
65. Ronni Marks, ronnimarks24@gmail.com
66. Shamar Smalls, ssmalls1@health.nyc.gov
67. Thomas John Bender, bendert@baycountymi.gov
68. Versalle Shelton, vshelton@health.nyc.gov
69. Vinnie Chesimard, vinnie.chesimard@oasas.ny.gov
70. Wanda Pamphile, wanda.pamphile1@cms.hhs.gov
71. William Guy, william.guy@msdh.ms.gov
72. Yolanda Brewster, ybre@co.ulster.ny.us

Last Updated on October 6, 2025 by HepFree NYC