Calls to Action

 

August 2010 - Letters of Support Needed for Bills in California Legislature

 SB 1029 by Leland Yee, which would allow adults to purchase and possess up to 30 syringes from an authorized source, including licensed pharmacies, physicians and syringe exchange programs, passed the State Senate and Assembly. It now awaits signature by Governor Schwarzenegger.

Send your support letters to:
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger
Fax:  916-558-3160
Mail: State Capitol, Sacramento, California 95814
Email: gov.ca.gov/interact

AB 1858 by Robert Blumenfield, which would allow the California Department of Public Health to authorize syringe exchange services in any location where the conditions exist for the rapid spread of viral hepatitis, HIV or other deadly or disabling bloodborne disease, passed the State Assembly and Senate. It also awaits the Governor's signature.  Here is CalHEP's support letter for AB 1858, as an example.

Send your support letters to:
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger
Fax:  916-558-3160
Mail: State Capitol, Sacramento, California 95814
Email: gov.ca.gov/interact

Assembly Bill 2600 (AB 2600) introduced by Assemblymember Fiona Ma (D-San Francisco), would have required the Medical Board of California to consider including a course in the diagnosis and treatment of hepatitis in continuing education requirements.
 
As of August 20, the bill has been amended and no longer addresses viral hepatitis and provider education. Assemblymember Fiona Ma stated that she will continue to support viral hepatitis in the policy arena, but having met the goal of meeting with the California Medical Board and presenting the need for physician education on viral hepatitis, the bill is not essential to advocacy efforts.  CalHEP wishes to thank you for your letters of support to your legislators. 


 

June 2010 - Viral Hepatitis and Liver Cancer Control and Prevention Act of 2009 (HR 3974)

The Viral Hepatitis and Liver Cancer Prevention and Control Act of 2009 was introduced in October 2009 by U.S. Representatives Mike Honda, (D-CA) and Charles Dent (R-PA) with original cosponsors Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Edolphus Towns (D-NY), Anh “Joseph” Cao (R-LA), David Wu (D-OR), Todd Platts (R-PA), Donna M. Christiansen (D-VI), Barbara Lee (D-CA), Bobby Rush (D-IL), George Butterfield (D-NC), and Judy Chu (D-CA). National Viral Hepatitis Roundtable (NVHR) needs our Representatives to join as cosponsor to show support for addressing the viral hepatitis epidemic!  Call to Action, click here.
Representative Honda recently wrote an article for the Huffington Post on cost of hepatitis and the need for legislative action. 

 April 2010 - CalHEP Asks Secretary Sebelius to Ensure that Infectious Diseases Aren't Left Out of Health Reform Prevention Funding

CalHEP signed on to a letter from the National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors (NASTAD) requesting that Secretary Sebelius include infectious diseases prevention activities as eligible for the $500 million Prevention and Public Health Fund that was included in the health reform law for FY2010.  HIV, viral hepatitis, STD, and TB were not eligible for the $650 million prevention and wellness funding in the Stimulus bill formerly known as the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009.  Time is of the essence as folks from the White House and the Department of Health and Human Services are meeting to determine the parameters for this funding. 
 

 April 2010 - CalHEP Seeks California Organizations to Sign on in Support of California Hepatitis Awareness Day

CalHEP is circulating a sign-on letter thanking Assembly Member Sam Blakeslee for introducing Assembly Concurrent Resolution Number 141 (ACR 141) which declares May 19, 2010 to be Viral Hepatitis Awareness Day in California. The letter will be delivered to Assmeblymember Blakelee's office on April 21st. Please join CalHEP and our associates at the San Luis Obispo County AIDS Support Network, and the SLO Hepatitis C Project in showing our great appreciation to Assembly Member Blakeslee by adding your orgainzation to the the list of signatures.  
 

March 2010 - Health Reform Call to Action: Open the Door to Hepatitis Treatment 

Call your Congressional representatives and ask them to support the President's plan for health care reform. To find the phone number of your Congress Member click here. To read the full call to action click here.

December 2009—Tremendous Victory for Viral Hepatitis Prevention Advocates


On behalf of 80 organizations—including CalHEP—The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) acknowledged a tremendous victory for viral hepatitis and HIV prevention advocates. Congress and President Obama lifted the ban on the use of federal dollars to support syringe exchange programs (SEPs). SEPs have been carefully evaluated and scientifically validated as a prevention approach in reducing the spread of viral hepatitis and HIV among persons who inject drugs, their sexual partners and their offspring.

Injection Drug Use Specialist, California Department of Public Health, Office of AIDS wrote,"Last Wednesday, December 16, President Obama signed Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2010, which lifts the 1989 ban on the use of federal funds for syringe exchange programs (SEPs). According to Dr. Jonathan Mermin, Director of the Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention (DHAP) of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC),“This is an historic action in the fight against HIV/AIDS, one that has the potential to reduce HIV infections among people who inject drugs.”
The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) considers syringe exchange to be unquestionably vital in the struggle to reduce the spread of HIV, HCV and other blood-borne infections among injection drug users, their partners, and their children. Over the past four years, CDPH has awarded over 3.5 million dollars in State General Funds to authorized syringe exchange programs across the state to provide syringe exchange, HIV and HCV testing, counseling and referral to needed services. Recent cuts in State General Funds for HIV prevention have resulted in elimination of all state funding of SEPs: HIV prevention in the state is now solely funded by federal dollars, which had precluded the funding of SEPs.The lifting of the ban will mean that CDC funds for FY 2010/11 and future fiscal year funds can be used to support SEPs when they are awarded. DHAP is developing policy guidance for grantees around the use of federal funds for SEPs; when the guidance is provided to CDPH/OA, we will provide the information to our grantees in order to allow local health jurisdictions the flexibility to use these funds to support syringe exchange programs where they are authorized.
 
November 9, 2009—HCAP Asks OMB to Fund Viral Hepatitis in President’s Budget
On behalf of 80 organizations—including CalHEP—the Hepatitis C Appropriations Partnership on November 9, requested that the Office of Management and Budget include increases in funding for programs that address viral hepatitis in President Obama’s FY2011 budget. The proposed increase would help ensure that those at high risk of infection are protected and those currently infected are diagnosed and receive lifesaving medical care. Read the letter to OMB Director Peter Orszag.
 
September 30, 2009—CalHEP Urges Congress to Support $20 Million for Viral Hepatitis Prevention
CalHEP joined organizations from throughout California and across the country in urging Congress to support $20.1 million in funding for viral hepatitis prevention in the FY2010 Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations bill. In letters to leaders of the House of Representatives and Senate, the 120-plus signatories acknowledged that the $20.1 million falls short of the $50 million need identified by the viral hepatitis community. They argued, however, that it represents an important first step in restoring the CDC’s viral hepatitis program to its FY2001 funding level of $25 million. View the letters to Senate and House leaders. 
 
September 8, 2009—CalHEP, NVHR Urge Congress to Pass Hepatitis Act
CalHEP staffers teamed up with representatives from the National Viral Hepatitis Roundtable (NVHR) on Sept. 8, to urge California representatives to support the Viral Hepatitis and Liver Cancer Control and Prevention Act, which is expected to be introduced in the House this October by Reps. Mike Honda (D-CA) and Charlie Dent (R-PA). The Act calls for amending the Public Health Service Act to establish, promote, and support a comprehensive prevention, research, and medical management referral program for chronic hepatitis B and chronic hepatitis C virus infection. CalHEP visited Reps. Howard Berman (D-San Fernando), Doris Matsui (D-Sacramento), and Zoe Lofgren (D-Santa Clara), as well as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco). Click here to read a summary of the Act’s key provisions.
 
July 2009—CalHEP Issues Action Alert on Health Care Reform
As Congress moved closer to finalizing their plans for health care reform at the end of July 2009, CalHEP member organizations sent letters to Senators Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer encouraging them to meet the health care needs of people living with chronic hepatitis B and C, HIV, and other chronic diseases. We ask that you fight for these provisions within any health care reform legislation:
  • Expanded Medicaid coverage for all low-income people, including childless adults, and eliminating requirements that tie Medicaid to disability status. People with chronic viral hepatitis should qualify for care and treatment to prevent liver damage and disability;
  • A strong public plan option that would provide affordable health care access for people with viral hepatitis and other chronic conditions. The public plan should set a national standard for affordable coverage with predictable health protection and no denial of benefits based on pre-existing conditions. CalHEP signed the National Viral Hepatitis Roundtable’s (NVHR) health care reform letter along with 60 other organizations.
July 10, 2009—CalHEP Supports Lift of Syringe Exchange Ban
On July 10, the House Appropriations Subcommittee endorsed a massive Fiscal 2010 spending bill for labor, health, and education programs to omit a longstanding ban on funding for needle-exchange programs. CalHEP communicated our support for lifting the ban to subcommittee members.
 
July 6, 2009—CalHEP Urges Congress to Increase Prevention Funding
CalHEP joined more than 100 organizations from around the country in early July 2009, urging Congress to increase funding for viral hepatitis prevention in the FY2010 Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations bill. Click here to read the letter sent to ranking members of the Appropriations Subcommittee.

 

 

 

CalHEP ACTION ALERT - February 4, 2010
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