NASTAD Updates

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New! NASTAD's Inaugural Syndemic September

Syndemic September Logo (Full Color)

This year NASTAD is commemorating the inaugural Syndemic September. During this month, we hope to further conversations and collaboration among jurisdictions, programs, and partners on integrating viral hepatitis, HIV, STI, and drug user health programs, addressing the social determinants of health, and advancing health equity. We are excited to hear from you all during our VLC sessions and outbreak workgroup call this month, please see below for more information. As always, feel free to reach out to us if you would like to share some of the syndemic work that you are doing or if you would like support in implementing syndemic approaches. Happy Syndemic September! 

VLC Sessions 

  • Upcoming VLC Session
    • Date: Wednesday, September 27, 2023 
    • Time: 3:00 - 4:00 pm (ET) 
    • Topic: Jurisdictional approaches to syndemic planning and implementation 
    • Presenters: Leo Fulwider and Arlis Jenkins (AZ DOH), and Brittany Gross (IN DOH) 
    • Description: During this session, we will hear from two jurisdictions on how they are defining a syndemic approach, some of the challenges and unexpected benefits, integrating surveillance and prevention programs, and other key concerns for health departments looking to integrate programs and services. 
  • Previous VLC Session
    • Date: Wednesday, September 20, 2023 
    • Topic: Demystifying syndemic approaches to elimination planning for viral hepatitis programs (YouTube link
    • Presenters: Boatemaa Ntiri-Reid and Edwin Corbin-Gutierrez (NASTAD) 
    • Description: Many jurisdictions are interested in implementing a syndemic approach but are not sure of where to start. During this session, NASTAD will discuss key findings from conversations and meetings held with jurisdictions around the country. 

Outbreak Detection Workgroup 

  • Date: Tuesday, September 26, 2023 
  • Time: 3:30 - 4:30 pm (ET)  
  • Topic: This discussion-based, informal session will discuss considerations by WV on leveraging the HIV response to support hepatitis outbreaks. 
  • Presenters: Alana Hudson (WV DHHR) 

Resources 

NASTAD 2023 National HIV & Hepatitis Technical Assistance Meeting 

TA Meeting Logo

October 11-13, 2023 | Washington, DC (only in-person) 

NASTAD’s 2023 National HIV & Hepatitis Technical Assistance Meeting will allow ADAP coordinators, Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program (RWHAP) Part B coordinators, prevention managers, and hepatitis coordinators from states and CDC directly-funded jurisdictions to participate in various conversations about HIV and hepatitis policy, clinical developments, and innovative programming. The theme is “Reaffirming Meaningful Community Engagement,” and will include focused discussion on engaging communities that are crucial to ending intersecting syndemics – specifically gay/bisexual men and other men who have sex with men; people of transgender experience; people who are aging with HIV; and people who use drugs. Registration is $850 until September 30, after that date registration is $1,000. Please click here to register, and for any general questions about the meeting please contact Isaiah Webster.

Hepatitis-Focused Affinity Session

During the meeting, NASTAD and CDC DVH will host an affinity session for jurisdictions and their DVH regional teams to meet, network, and discuss. The affinity session will be held on Thursday, October 12 at 8 AM ET in the Empire Ballroom. Please contact the Hepatitis team (hepatitis@nastad.org) if you have any questions. 

Hepatitis-Focused Breakout Sessions 

  • Wednesday, October 11 | 10:45 AM – 12:00 PM: Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Data and Viral Hepatitis
  • Wednesday, October 11 | 2:00 – 3:15 PM: Engaging People of Trans Experience in Hepatitis Elimination Planning and Outbreak Response 
  • Wednesday, October 11 | 3:35 – 5:00 PM: Plenary: Centering People with Transgender Experience in Program Leadership 
  • Thursday, October 12 | 10:45 AM – 12:00 PM: Syndemic Approach to HIV and Hepatitis Cluster Detection and Outbreak Response 
  • Thursday, October 12 |2:00 PM – 3:15 PM: Supporting harm reduction programs to provide hepatitis testing and linkage to care services (draft title) 
  • Friday, October 13 | 9:00 AM – 10:15 AM: Supporting people aging with hepatitis and building leadership capacity of future generations 

Upcoming NASTAD-led Work Group Calls 

Please note the updated dates for 2023. If you are interested in joining a work group, please reach out to hepatitis@nastad.org, Isabel Lechuga (rlechuga@nastad.org), or Zakiya Grubbs (zgrubbs@nastad.org) and we will reach out directly. Additionally, we are considering convening a perinatal workgroup, so reach out to us if you are interested and have items you would like to discuss during the workgroup.

Outbreak Detection Planning Work Group

Collaborative space for jurisdictions to discuss developing and implementing an outbreak response plan for Hepatitis A, B, and C. Jurisdictions can share best practices and outbreak response activities, including monitoring surveillance data to identify outbreaks.

  • Schedule: Monthly calls every fourth Tuesday from 3:30 - 4:30 PM ET 
  • Upcoming dates: September 26, October 24, and November 28, 2023  
  • Intended audience: Health department prevention and surveillance staff working on developing and implementing an outbreak response plan as a part of PS 21-2103 Component 1 grant activities. 

Newer Hepatitis Staff Calls

These calls are being restructured in 2023 and are open to all new hepatitis health department staff who started their roles in the respective quarter of the call date. Attendees will have the opportunity to meet and greet others and familiarize themselves with NASTAD’s Newer Hepatitis Staff Toolkit. Reach out to Jasmine West (jwest@nastad.org) to be added to the invitation. 

  • Schedule: Quarterly calls from 2:00 - 3:00 PM ET 
  • Upcoming dates: September 25, 2023
  • Intended Audience: Newer hepatitis program staff (e.g. program coordinators, surveillance staff, etc.) 

Hepatitis Workgroup Calls

Bimonthly call to discuss recent hepatitis updates. Each meeting includes updates on hepatitis advocacy and policy, and drug user health. Participants are encouraged to send in Hot Topics for discussion to hepatitis@nastad.org prior to the meeting.

  • Schedule: Bimonthly calls every third Tuesday from 2:00 - 3:00 PM ET 
  • Upcoming dates: October 17, and December 19, 2023
  • Intended Audience: Health department prevention and surveillance staff.

Hepatitis C Linkage to Care Workgroup

This workgroup, led by Amelia Salmanson, Utah Viral Hepatitis Coordinator and HepTAC consultant, is a space to share best practices and learn from other jurisdictions about DIS, linkage to care, and patient navigation.

  • Schedule: Quarterly calls from 3:00 - 4:00 PM ET 
  • Upcoming dates: November 2, 2023 
  • Intended Audience: Health department prevention and/or surveillance staff working on HCV linkage to care.

Hepatitis and PWID Services Work Group

Quarterly workgroup in supporting jurisdictions working on integrated viral hepatitis and PWID services, especially Component 3 grantees. The meetings are an open space to discuss progress on implementing PWID service bundles and other related Component 3 activities and to identify TA needs related to these activities.

  • Schedule: Quarterly calls from 3:00 - 4:00 PM ET 
  • Upcoming dates: TBD
  • Intended Audience: Health department staff (including, but not limited to, Component 3 funded jurisdictions) SSP staff, substance use disorder treatment providers, state opioid treatment authorities, and other individuals interested in integrating viral hepatitis and PWID services. 

VLC recordings/upcoming sessions

HepTAC Virtual Learning Collaborative Logo_Horizonatal

The third year of the Virtual Learning Collaborative begins month for Syndemic September! For the September 27, 2023 session, titled “Cross-jurisdictional approaches to syndemic planning and implementation” we will have presentations from Leo Fulwider and Arlis Jenkins (AZ DOH), and Brittany Gross (IN DOH). All sessions will be held at 3 PM ET.  

We are looking for speakers to share their viral hepatitis expertise during the Virtual Learning Collaborative Year 3. Please indicate on this form which dates and topics you are interested in presenting or moderating. Thank you! 

Please visit the VLC microsite for more information and to watch recordings from previous VLC sessions.

Additional Updates

Sex Worker Health & Harm Reduction TA Calls

The NASTAD Sex Worker Health and Harm Reduction Workgroup and NASTAD host a bi-monthly call for harm reduction programs and SSPs serving or interested in expanding services for people engaged in sex work. This call series is intended to serve as a space to facilitate connections and resource sharing, encourage peer support, offer TA and capacity building, and raise priorities of sex worker health in relation to harm reduction with national partners. The Sex Worker Health and Harm Reduction TA call is a component of the CDC-funded National Harm Reduction TA Center. At this time, calls are reserved for community-based organizations including drug user health programs and SSPs serving or interested in expanding services for people engaged in sex work. This call series is co-facilitated by regional consultants with support from the NASTAD Drug User Health team. Join us on the 2nd Tuesday of every other month, 2:00 - 3:00 pm ET.

Please contact DrugUserHealthTA@NASTAD.org for more information.

Notepad with the words, "HOT TOPIC" written in black and underlined in yellow highlighter

Hot Topics: HepTAC TA Requests 

We have received a few TA requests and we are requesting your assistance: 

  • If you are interested in joining a perinatal workgroup, please let us know.
  • Examples of site visit forms for testing programs.
  • Examples of health systems assessments and what feedback is provided to respondents for HBV and/or HCV testing policies. 
  • Examples of viral hepatitis outbreak detection and response plans 
  • A list of state health departments or local health departments that have Hep C treatment programs, preferably those doing mobile Hep C treatment. 

If you have any information on the above TA requests, please email hepatitis@nastad.org. Thank you! 


Note: Our team aims to send out a monthly newsletter to streamline hepatitis communications. If you know someone who would benefit from signing up or if you would like to be unsubscribed from the monthly newsletter, please email us at hepatitis@nastad.org We apologize if you emailed us and haven’t heard back, please email us again!


Resources

Model Tribal Data Sharing Agreement 

In response to an urgent need for tribal, federal, state, and local governments to share data during public health emergencies, the American Indian Health Commission (AIHC) released a Model Tribal Data Sharing Agreement [Doc] (DSA). The Model DSA was developed in collaboration with tribal staff, public health leadership, public health policy experts, epidemiologists, and attorneys. 

2022 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) Data Set Available 

The 2022 BRFSS data set is available for download and analysis of health risk behaviors, preventive health care, access to care, and social determinants for health data. Data is available for all 50 states, Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands, Guam, and DC. More information about the survey can be found here

NASTAD Viral Hepatitis Testing: Health System Assessment Toolkit 

The Hepatitis team has recently released the Viral Hepatitis Testing: Health System Assessment Toolkit to support health department staff in developing an assessment of high-volume health systems and their current hepatitis B and C screening practices. We would like to thank everyone involved in the creation of this resource for your time and effort. Please let us know if you have any questions about this resource, or if you have any TA needs related to the health system assessment.


Upcoming Webinars/Meetings:

Upcoming Webinars

Eliminating Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) among People with HIV: Data to Care Approaches | Tuesday, September 26, 2023 at 2:00 PM ET 

This Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program (RWHAP) Part F Special Projects of National Significance (SPNS) initiative aimed to link individuals co-infected with HIV and HCV to care by leveraging public health surveillance and clinical data systems. The Yale University School of Medicine served as a Technical Assistance Provider for participating jurisdictions: Arizona, Connecticut, Kentucky, Michigan, Puerto Rico, Orange County Florida, and the Southern Nevada Health District. 

The project involved two major components: 

  • The creation of HCV clearance cascades for co-infected populations: Clearance cascades helped health departments identify gaps in HCV testing and treatment by tracking the movement of individuals with HCV from initial infection to cure (including potential reinfection). 
  • Outreach and linkage: Related activities focused on creating partnerships between health departments and RWHAP clinics to develop clinic-based case conferencing lists and connect individuals to HCV treatment. 

This webinar, presented by Yale and Mission Analytics Group, the project evaluator, will focus on health department and clinic approaches and lessons learned in implementation to help you get started on your own mico-elimination activities. Register here

HCV Elimination Among People Living with and at Risk of HIV: Challenges and Opportunities | Tuesday, October 10, 2023, 2:00 – 3:00 PM ET 

Following the White House’s recent proposal for a National Hepatitis C Elimination Plan as part of its Fiscal Year 2024 budget request to Congress, and the fact that key populations for HIV are also at high risk of HCV, Treatment Action Group is organizing a webinar that will highlight best practices and challenges for HCV elimination with a specific focus on high-burden populations. The webinar will equip policymakers, clinicians, health advocates, civil society, and other stakeholders with tools to better address barriers to eliminating HCV among key populations and encourage participants to apply new insights into HCV/HIV comorbidity to their work. You can register for the webinar here. 

Archived Webinars

A warm thank you to everyone who joined the event, Unlocking HCV Care in Key Settings last week! NASTAD and NVHR will upload the slides and develop a summary report that includes a list of HCV resources related to care in the key settings discussed (FQHCs, DOCs, SSPs, and MOUD programs). To access the recordings, click Day 1 MOUD and DOC and Day 2 FQHCs and SSPs.

Upcoming Meetings

CSTE Viral Hepatitis Subcommittee Meetings | First Thursday, every other month at 3 PM ET 

The Viral Hepatitis Subcommittee comprises epidemiologists, program coordinators, and others interested in viral hepatitis surveillance and epidemiology. The purpose of this subcommittee is to inform and improve practices related to viral hepatitis surveillance and data analysis in local, state, tribal, and territorial settings, as well as build epidemiologic capacity and support partnerships related to viral hepatitis surveillance. The subcommittee is also charged with reviewing and developing national position statements on viral hepatitis-related topics, including standardized surveillance case definitions.

The Viral Hepatitis Subcommittee holds regular conference calls and webinars to discuss current issues and overarching topics related to viral hepatitis surveillance, such as best practices and lessons learned across jurisdictions, policy around viral hepatitis surveillance, and analyzing viral hepatitis data. For more information, click here


Conferences/Events (National & Local) 

HCV-Flavi 2023 29th International Symposium on Hepatitis C Virus, Flaviviruses, and Related Viruses  

October 1-4, 2023 | Atlanta, GA 

The International Symposium on Hepatitis C Virus, Flaviviridae and Related Viruses is organized on an annual basis and rotates between Europe, North America and Asia/Australia. The symposium's history goes back to 1994 and played a crucial role in the characterization of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) and the discovery of the currently available effective medication for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C. More information can be found here

Hep Free NNE Kickoff Summit Ending Hepatitis B & C in Northern New England 

October 5, 2023, 9 AM - 12 PM ET | Virtual 

Hepatitis Free Northern New England (Hep Free NNE) is a tri-state initiative bringing together stakeholders across Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont to join national and global efforts to end viral hepatitis B & C. Hep Free NNE's vision is that Northern New England is a place where new hepatitis B & C infections are prevented, every person knows their status, and every person with viral hepatitis has access to high-quality health care and treatment free from stigma and discrimination. This Kickoff Summit will launch a 2-year community-driven, data-informed strategic planning process to develop the FIRST-EVER five-year Northern New England Viral Hepatitis Elimination Plan plan by January 1, 2025. For more information and registration, please click here.

NASTAD 2023 National HIV & Hepatitis Technical Assistance Meeting 

October 11-13, 2023 | Washington, DC (only in-person) 

NASTAD’s 2023 National HIV & Hepatitis Technical Assistance Meeting will allow ADAP coordinators, Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program (RWHAP) Part B coordinators, prevention managers, and hepatitis coordinators from states and CDC directly-funded jurisdictions to participate in various conversations about HIV and hepatitis policy, clinical developments, and innovative programming. The theme is “Reaffirming Meaningful Community Engagement,” and will include focused discussion on engaging communities that are crucial to ending intersecting syndemics – specifically gay/bisexual men and other men who have sex with men; people of transgender experience; people who are aging with HIV; and people who use drugs. Registration is $850 until September 30, after that date registration is $1,000. Please click here to register, and for any general questions about the meeting please contact Isaiah Webster

The 11th International Network on Health and Hepatitis in Substance Users (INHSU) 2023 

October 17-20, 2023 | Geneva, Switzerland

This annual conference welcomes hundreds of practitioners, researchers, policymakers, advocates, community members, and people who use drugs every year. INHSU covers the latest advances in hepatitis C epidemiology, management, and treatment of viral hepatitis among people who use drugs. Through the dissemination of scientific knowledge, our aim is to contribute to the World Health Organization’s goal of eliminating hepatitis C by 2030. More information can be found here.

INHSU Free US training series to help scale up HCV interventions 

October 26, 2023, New York City, NY, 9:30 AM - 3:00 PM ET (Registration

https://inhsu.cmail20.com/t/t-l-vlrhljy-ydhinhruk-o/November 2, 2023, San Francisco, CA, 9:30 AM – 3:00 PM PT (Registration

In this free event, INHSU will delve into the practical aspects of implementing evidence-based interventions for hepatitis C, covering everything from point-of-care testing to peer support, to dried blood spot testing, and more. The aim is to give you the tools you need to enhance and scale up your HCV service delivery. This symposium is a must-attend for professionals working with people who use drugs, driven to elevate HCV care in their service setting. Register via the links above or reach out to INHSU at info@inhsu.org with any questions. 


Publications

Global prevalence, cascade of care, and prophylaxis coverage of hepatitis B in 2022: a modelling study 

Incidence of HIV and hepatitis C virus among people who inject drugs, and associations with age and sex or gender: a global systematic review and meta-analysis