CalHEP has produced a guide to patient assistance programs for receiving hepatitis A and B vaccinations at no cost.

Congratulations to Mimi Chang and Koy Parada from Hep B Free Los Angeles, who have been chosen by the CalHEP Steering Committee to receive the 2012 Sherri Ziegler Community Service Award. This award, named after  the late Sherri Ziegler, a tireless hepatitis C advocate and educator and founding CalHEP member, recognizes excellence in viral hepatitis advocacy and education. We received 11 stellar nominations from the community and it was a difficult choice. Thanks to everyone who submitted a nomination and to all of the nominees for their commitment to ending the hepatitis B and C epidemics.

You can learn more about Mimi and Koy's work by reading their nomination.

In April 2014, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services released the updated Action Plan for the Prevention, Care, and Treatment of Viral Hepatitis (2014-2016).

Building on the success of the nation’s first comprehensive cross-agency action plan, released in 2011, Combating the Silent Epidemic of Viral Hepatitis: Action Plan for the Prevention, Care, & Treatment of Viral Hepatitis, the U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS), Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Justice (DOJ), and Veterans Affairs (VA) released a 3-year update of the plan in April 2014.

The updated Viral Hepatitis Action Plan builds on the foundation of and momentum generated by the original action plan and seeks to harness:

• New recommendations for health care providers regarding screening for hepatitis C;
• Promising new developments in treatments for hepatitis C;
• Mounting public awareness of and concern about hepatitis B and hepatitis C; and
• The expansion of access to viral hepatitis prevention, diagnosis, care, and treatment offered by the Affordable Care Act.