Recap from the 2019 National Viral Hepatitis Program Planning Meeting
Earlier this year, the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO), with support from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), hosted the National Viral Hepatitis Program Planning Meeting. The meeting provided an opportunity for a national dialogue on viral hepatitis program planning to move forward on the path to elimination. As the first formal national elimination planning conference in a decade, the two-day meeting featured presentations and discussions on hepatitis A, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C. Topics that were covered included innovative drug pricing models for hepatitis C treatment, improving prevention and surveillance, decreasing barriers to treatment, and engaging people affected by viral hepatitis in elimination planning.
Over 300 attendees from 48 states, 5 local jurisdictions, multiple federal agencies, and partner organizations attended, including representatives from NASTAD, the National Governors Association, Hep Education Project, San Francisco AIDS Foundation, the Cherokee Nation, Alaska Department of Corrections, the Harm Reduction Coalition, Hep B United, and the National Association of Community Health Centers. Additionally, states that received funding from ASTHO to implement hepatitis elimination projects were invited to stay for an additional day. During this time states learned about elimination strategies used by other jurisdictions further along in the planning process and had the opportunity to discuss their own state-specific issues and strategies with their partners.
The meeting was well received by attendees and provided an opportunity for states to learn from each other, make valuable connections, and work on their own hepatitis elimination plans. Meeting materials and presentations are available upon request. Requests should be emailed to Geetika Nadkarni at [email protected].
