Newsletters

Hepatitis Happenings and Updates

Jul 17, 2025

NASTAD Updates

July NASTAD-led Workgroup Calls

July 2025 Workgroup Calls (You only need to register once for each workgroup. The Zoom link is for all calls. Workgroup slides and resources can be found on the Viral Hepatitis Community Platform SharePoint site. Additional information about the workgroups can be found after the break)

Bimonthly Hepatitis Workgroup: July 28, 2025 | Email hepatitis@NASTAD.org for registration

Corrections Workgroup: July 10, 2025 | Registration

Outbreak Detection Planning Workgroup: July 15, 2025 | Registration

Hepatitis C DIS/Linkage to Care Workgroup: July 29, 2025 | Registration

Combined Rural/Low Morbidity and Tribal/State Viral Hepatitis Collaboration Workgroup: July 31, 2025 | Registration

NASTAD Lab Interpretation Resource Office Hours

To support jurisdictions on interpreting labs and developing their care cascade, we will be hosting office hours on July 21 and 30, 2025 at 3 PM ET. Please email hepatitis@NASTAD.org ahead of the office hours with a brief description of your needs to ensure coverage.

Dates/Times: July 21 and 30, 2025 at 3PM ET

Registration: https://nastad.zoom.us/meeting/register/voqmn0X5QnaSkhYpcGPOPg

Bimonthly Hepatitis Workgroup Calls

Bimonthly call to discuss recent hepatitis updates for health departments implementing viral hepatitis activities in their jurisdiction regardless of funding source. 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. For meeting link, please email Zakiya Grubbs (zgrubbs@NASTAD.org) or Isabel Lechuga (rlechuga@NASTAD.org).

Schedule: Bimonthly calls every second Tuesday from 3 - 4 PM ET
Upcoming dates: July 28 (date change), September 9, November 18 (date change), 2025
Intended audience: Closed to health department staff implementing viral hepatitis activities.

Newer Hepatitis Staff Calls

These calls are open to all new (or newish) hepatitis health department staff who started their roles and are interested in networking and learning more about what their peers are working on their respective jurisdictions. Attendees will have the opportunity to meet-and-greet others and familiarize themselves with NASTAD’s Newer Hepatitis Staff Toolkit. This workgroup is facilitated by HepTAC Advisory Committee member Chloé Manchester.

Schedule: Quarterly calls from 3 - 4 PM ET
Upcoming dates: October 2, 2025
Intended audience: Newer hepatitis program staff (e.g. program coordinators, surveillance staff, etc.)
Registration: https://nastad.zoom.us/meeting/register/S1dulMzxQHyoSUZcGRBbLw

Telehealth Workgroup

To support viral hepatitis programs in sharing best practices in implementing a telehealth program within their jurisdiction. This workgroup is facilitated by HepTAC Advisory Committee member Heath Johnson (IA).

Schedule: Quarterly calls from 3 - 4 PM ET
Upcoming dates: July dates cancelled, October 16, 2025
Intended audience: Health department staff seeking to or currently implementing a telehealth HCV treatment program through the health department or in collaboration with other healthcare providers.
Registration: https://nastad.zoom.us/meeting/register/7GPej_FlRquEF0wjHgj4Sg

Corrections Workgroup

To support jurisdictions in developing and fostering relationships with correctional partners to support outbreak response, increasing testing and access to hepatitis treatment; and to develop a resource repository for HDs to strengthen their response to viral hepatitis activities with their correctional partners. Facilitated by Chanel Epps (MO), HepTAC Advisory Committee member.

Schedule: Quarterly calls from 3 - 4 PM ET
Upcoming dates: September 25, November 13, 2025
Intended audience: Viral hepatitis staff working with local and state corrections departments
Registration: https://nastad.zoom.us/meeting/register/l2Uke0fHQnS3Tl3tP2LZRA

Tribal/State Viral Hepatitis Collaboration Workgroup

The goal of this workgroup is to strengthen relationships between tribal nations and state health departments to support viral hepatitis elimination goals. Facilitated by Claire Erikson (ND), HepTAC Advisory Committee member.

Schedule: Quarterly calls from 3 - 4 PM ET
Upcoming dates: July 31 (rescheduled to join the Rural/Low morbidity WG), November 20, 2025
Intended audience: Viral hepatitis program staff and tribal health liaisons
Registration: https://nastad.zoom.us/meeting/register/VzJd_m3gRX--V82HCNoDcg

Hepatitis C DIS/Linkage to Care Workgroup

This workgroup, led by Amelia Salmanson (UT), HepTAC Advisory Committee member, is a space to share best practices and learn from other jurisdictions about disease intervention specialists (DIS), linkage to care, and patient navigation. We will also be using this workgroup to discuss enhancing viral hepatitis case investigations/DIS.

Schedule: Quarterly calls from 3 - 4 PM ET
Upcoming dates: July 29, October 28, 2025
Intended audience: Health department prevention and/or surveillance staff working on HCV linkage to care.
Registration: https://nastad.zoom.us/meeting/register/D1D5oziLROqBJSpQ6X5pIA

Rural/Low Morbidity Workgroup

To support viral hepatitis programs in addressing the unique challenges related to rurality, limited resources, and low morbidity. This workgroup is facilitated by HepTAC Advisory Committee members Chloe Manchester (ME) and Claire Erikson (ND).

Schedule: Quarterly calls from 3 - 4 PM ET
Upcoming dates: July 31, September 11, 2025
Intended audience: Viral hepatitis health department staff that serve mostly rural populations and have resource and capacity limitations to providing services.
Registration: https://nastad.zoom.us/meeting/register/9gdgl0u4Qm-KTVYwEZuxng

Perinatal Surveillance and Case Management Workgroup

For jurisdictions looking to start or have previously established a perinatal hepatitis surveillance and case management program, this space is for sharing challenges and breakthroughs. Discussion topics include identifying cases within existing surveillance, developing a registry, infant follow-up testing and case management, and provider outreach. This workgroup is facilitated by HepTAC Advisory Committee member Heather Wingate (TN).

Schedule: Quarterly calls at 3 - 4 PM ET
Upcoming dates: October 23, 2025
Intended audience: Health department prevention and/or surveillance staff working on perinatal hepatitis B and C surveillance and case management.
Registration: https://nastad.zoom.us/meeting/register/susOdVqUQsKcKKV3kxd0jA

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. Facilitated by Justinian Wurtzel (IA), HepTAC Advisory Committee member.

Schedule: Quarterly calls
Upcoming dates: TBD
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.
Registration: https://nastad.zoom.us/meeting/register/6x6Br6PeR02WC3FnI7HMaw

VLC Recordings/Upcoming Sessions

The VLC is a virtual learning community and training series designed to support viral hepatitis health department staff implement the viral hepatitis prevention and surveillance activities set forth in CDC’s Integrated Viral Hepatitis Surveillance and Prevention Funding for Health Departments (CDC-RFA-PS21-2103) and is open to all state, territorial, and local health departments. 

The next VLC session will be held on July 23, 2025, titled “HCV RNA POC testing: Initial implementation successes and challenges,” with a presentation from Elizabeth Ohlsen, Alaska Department of Health, moderated by Katie Burk, HepTAC Advisory Committee member.

Earlier this month, we hosted a VLC session on “Improving provider awareness and capacity to increase viral hepatitis testing and treatment, Part 2,” with presentations from Colleen Flanigan with the New York State Department of Health and Colin Dwyer with the Virginia Department of Health, and a moderated discussion lead by Christina Caputo, HepTAC Advisory Committee member.

Please visit the VLC microsite for more information and to watch recordings from previous VLC sessions. Additionally, slides and resources are posted on the Viral Hepatitis Community Platform SharePoint.

Hepatitis Policy Updates

Congress Passes One Big Beautiful Bill Act

On July 3, the Congressional Republican caucus passed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (H.R.1), successfully leveraging their slim bicameral majority to advance a sweeping domestic policy and budget bill along party lines. The budget package includes major policy provisions central to the Trump Administration’s priorities, such as slashing federal health spending by curtailing access to safety-net coverage for Medicaid and Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplace plans, empowering the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to explore new opportunities to unilaterally impound Congressionally appropriated spending, and extending costly tax cuts for certain earners. A Congressional Budget Office report released on June 29 calculated that as many as 11.8 million people would lose health coverage if the bill became law.

Newly Appointed CDC Immunization Committee Targets Hepatitis B Vaccine

On June 25-26, the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) held its first meeting following the HHS Secretary’s overhaul of committee membership. On June 9, Secretary Kennedy ousted all 17 ACIP members and appointed 8 new members on June 11, with one member abruptly resigning a day before the June 25 meeting. During the meeting, the committee questioned whether universal infant hepatitis B virus (HBV) vaccination recommendations are necessary despite their role in achieving major reductions in pediatric rates of HBV. Additionally, Secretary Kennedy alleged on June 30 that the hepatitis B vaccine increases the risk of autism, signaling a likely focus on reshaping HBV immunization practices during his tenure at HHS. Public health advocates characterized the committee changes as a political take-over of the influential committee, whose recommendations determine which vaccines are provided at no consumer cost, and urged the Administration to uphold evidence-based policy for HBV immunization guidelines.  

SCOTUS Holds USPSTF Constitutional, Protecting Access to Preventive Services Under the Affordable Care Act  

On June 27, 2025, the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) issued its decision on Kennedy v. Braidwood, ruling in favor of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) and upholding the constitutionality of its role under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). This ruling affirms that insurers are still federally required to cover preventive services recommended by the USPSTF – including HIV PrEP, cancer screenings, and other life-saving interventions – without cost sharing.   

The Kennedy v. Braidwood decision represents a momentous win for public health and access to care. By preserving the ACA’s mandate to cover preventive services at no cost to patients, the Court has ensured that millions of Americans can continue to access essential preventive care. However, the win is not without caveats: To argue for the task force’s constitutionality, the government asserted that there was adequate oversight over USPSTF since the HHS Secretary has the authority to remove USPSTF members at will and veto recommendations made by the Task Force. SCOTUS accepted this interpretation of USPSTF oversight authority, which introduces a degree of uncertainty moving forward. While all currently recommended services remain protected under the ACA, future recommendations made by the USPSTF could be subject to political influence or administrative changes depending on how the HHS Secretary exercises this authority.

Additional Updates

NASTAD Resources: 

State Reporting Requirements for Negative HIV and HCV Test Results

NASTAD developed a series of four new jurisdictional resources analyzing the reporting requirements for negative HIV and hepatitis C virus (HCV) test results across the United States. While positive HIV and HCV test results are commonly reported, requirements for reporting negative test results vary by state and are often less clearly understood. These resources aim to close that gap by supporting health departments, laboratories, and healthcare providers in understanding their legal obligations related to public health reporting, while strengthening HIV and HCV surveillance systems nationwide.

_{Phillip Rideoutt II presenting about HepNET at the NAESM 2025 National African American Leadership Conference on Health Disparities and Social Justice in Los Angeles last month.}

Hepatitis National Network for Education and Testing (HepNET)

Formed through a partnership between NASTAD, NVHR and NACCHO, the Hepatitis Network for Education and Testing (HepNET) is a collaborative initiative dedicated to advancing racial justice and health equity in viral hepatitis care, with a focus on people who use drugs. Click here to become a member! Members get access to HepNET's resource warehouse, webinars and events, invitations, technical assistance opportunities, and the chance to participate in HepNET's learning communities.

HepNET Leading with Lived Experience Webinar Series

Register today for the HepNET Leading with Lived Experience (LLE) webinar series taking place the first Wednesday of every month at 3 pm ET, here. HepNET’s Leading with Lived Experience consultants are individuals trained to provide technical assistance and capacity building to the learning communities through the lens of their lived expertise with viral hepatitis.

Webinar Session Topic: Rapid Start Test-and-Treat Approach to HCV Treatment

Date/Time: August 6, 2025, at 3 PM ET

Speaker: Anthony Martinez, MD, AAHIVS, FAASLD

HepNET Networking Happy Hour | September 23, 2025 | Register Here

The HepNET Partner Team is pleased to present the HepNET Networking Happy Hour! These quarterly network calls provide the HepNET network members a chance to, quite literally, network! Network members will get the chance to hear about the exciting work their network colleagues are providing, as well as grouping together regionally and programmatically to strengthen partnerships over the HepNET network.

NASTAD Membership Directory Update

We are updating our membership directory to include both viral hepatitis prevention and surveillance points of contact. Please provide the contact information for your jurisdiction here, and review the current directory here. Thank you!

Hot Topics: HepTAC TA Requests

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

Are jurisdictions seeing an increase in Medicare prior authorizations for HCV treatment? How are you working with plans to reduce the burden of prior authorizations?
Examples of MOUs for community partners to support renting/leasing the HCV RNA POC machine.
Protocols for public health nurses and/or pharmacists to initiate HCV treatment under standing orders for patients who meet simplified treatment criteria and who have no other risk factors

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 for the monthly newsletter, please click here.

Partner Updates

The Virginia Department of Public Health partnered with the Virginia Hepatitis Coalition and other state agencies to create Hep Free VA, the Virginia Hepatitis Elimination Plan.

The plan outlines goals and objectives to eliminate viral hepatitis by 2030. The mission of the plan is to improve the health of all Virginians by ensuring access to and quality of viral hepatitis prevention, surveillance, and care that prioritizes collaboration among communities and stakeholders with a focus on equity and a syndemic approach. Read the full plan here.

Resources

World Hepatitis Day

This year to commemorate World Hepatitis Day on July 28, the World Hepatitis Alliance has chosen the theme “Let’s break it down” to combat “low awareness, misinformation, myths and stigma [that] are stopping people from accessing hepatitis services and leading to a lack of action by decision makers.” Here are some resources and educational campaigns to take action towards hepatitis elimination for World Hepatitis Day:

World Hepatitis Alliance resources
Coalition for Global Hepatitis Elimination World Hepatitis Day Resources
Global Progress Toward Hepatitis Elimination: New Reports Now Available

Migration Health Initiative: Hepatitis B Campaign

Protect Your Family is a health education campaign that was created for organizations serving Sub-Saharan African and Asian immigrant communities in the United States. The campaign aims to:

Educate newcomers about the seriousness of hepatitis B infections
Promote uptake of adult-dose hepatitis B vaccines as the primary means of prevention
Encourage testing as a prerequisite for vaccination
Educate newcomers about treatment options if they screen positive

Hepatitis B is common all over the world, but people from certain countries in Africa and Asia have a higher risk. This campaign centers their perspectives and experiences, ensuring those most affected have influence over how the issue is framed. The result is health education materials that are community-informed, customizable, and culturally validated.

Hepatitis Delta Resources

Hepatitis B Foundation has recently released fact sheets for hepatitis delta for providers and patients in additional languages. Fact sheets in Amharic, Arabic, Punjabi, Tigrinya (coming soon), Romanian, Russian, Spanish, Mongolian, Yoruba, Igbo, Hindi, and Urdu are available here.

Upcoming Webinars, Meetings, & Events

Tele-hepatology: Evidence Based and Practical Applications | July 22, 2025 at 12 PM ET

This webinar will describe the breadth of telemedicine models, define the role of telemedicine as facilitated in the treatment of viral hepatitis and other liver diseases, identify the barriers that currently exist for implementing telemedicine and create telemedicine strategies to successfully implement into practice. This activity is ideal for healthcare administrators, policymakers, payors, fellows/trainees, gastroenterologists, hepatologists, nurses, nurse practitioners, pharmacists, physician assistants, surgeons, transplant coordinators, and patient advocates. This activity will be offering AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Register here.

Global Hepatitis Webinar 2025 | July 28, 2025 at 7:30 AM ET

World Hepatitis Day 2025 global webinar will provide a critical platform for collaboration with partners and engagement with governments, health professionals and the public to drive advocacy, awareness and action to eliminate viral hepatitis as a major public health problem.

This global webinar will include high level ministerial remarks, presentations and panel discussions. It will provide spotlights and country progress from communities and partners, as well as effective and innovative public health strategies to scale-up country responses to reach the 2030 hepatitis elimination targets.

The theme for 2025: Hepatitis: Let’s Break It Down calls for urgent action to dismantle the financial, social and systemic barriers – including stigma – that stand in the way of hepatitis elimination and liver cancer prevention. Register here.

A Deep Dive Into the HCV Elimination Bill: How Communities Can Secure a Win | July 29, 2025 at 3 PM ET

The Cure Hepatitis C Act 2025 introduced by Senators Bill Cassidy (R-LA) and Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) aims to establish a national program to eliminate hepatitis C in the United States. The bill focuses on expanding access to treatment, particularly for vulnerable populations like those in Medicaid, correctional facilities and the uninsured through an innovative model which allows the federal government to negotiate an agreement with 1 or 2 pharmaceutical companies for unlimited access to HCV medications for these populations in exchange for a fixed annual fee to the drug company.

As the bill moves through the legislative process, massive grassroots advocacy is needed to ensure that it gets the necessary co-sponsorships to pass. To this end, TAG is organizing this community webinar for community organizations and advocates to raise awareness about the bill, and prepare them to meet and engage with their Senators during the August recess in their district offices or Town Hall meetings to share their lived and living personal experiences and stories on HCV, and the need to ensure the bill passes. Register here.

Building Bridges: Strengthening Opioid Treatment Programs and Syringe Service Programs Partnerships to Advance Hepatitis C Prevention and Treatment | August 4, 2025 at 1 PM ET

This training from the Empire Liver Foundation and the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene will focus on strategies and best practices for building strong, collaborative relationships between Opioid Treatment Programs (OTPs) and Syringe Service Programs (SSPs). Since OTPs and SSPs often serve the same individuals, effective coordination between these programs is crucial for the prevention, treatment, and management of hepatitis C and other infectious diseases, such as HIV. Attendees will learn tips for improving communication and creating referral pathways and will discuss how integrated care approaches can enhance health outcomes and reduce the risk of reinfection. Register here.

Archived Webinars 

Bringing Hepatitis B, C, and D Screening to Communities in the United States: Strategies for Community-based Hepatitis Testing

Closing the Gap: Rapid Testing for Syphilis, HIV & HCV in Correctional Settings

Recurring Meetings

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

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, and how to become a member, click here.

Conferences/events (National & Local)

US Conference on HIV/AIDS

September 4-7, 2025 | Washington, DC

The 2025 U.S. Conference on HIV/AIDS will shine the light on people aging with HIV. It will be central to our program across plenaries, workshops, institutes, and other conference offerings, while also creating space for conversations about how aging with HIV affects each of us uniquely. NASTAD and the AIDS Institute will be facilitating an institute focused on hepatitis elimination. Registration can be found here.

2025 Hepatitis B Community Forum

September 8, 2025 | Virtual and Berlin, Germany

The 2025 Hepatitis B Community Forum will be a hybrid event held on Sept. 8 in Berlin, just prior to the opening of the International HBV Meeting. This unique, free event brings together scientists, public health professionals and people living with hepatitis B and D to exchange knowledge, share lived experiences and strengthen collaboration in the fight against HBV. Register here.

US Fast-Track Cities 2025 Summit

September 15-17, 2025 | New Orleans, LA

The Summit offers a forum for sharing practical strategies, lessons learned, and data-informed innovations that support local implementation of the EHE initiative. The program will emphasize evidence-based approaches to HIV prevention, care, and treatment that are responsive to evolving policy environments and fiscal conditions. More information can be found here.

INHSU Hepatitis C Intervention Symposia Series

October 3, 2025 | Phoenix, AZ | Registration

October 24, 2025 | Chicago, IL | Registration

November 7, 2025 | Washington, DC | Registration

In this free symposium series, you will learn practical strategies to enhance your HCV service delivery, including point-of-care testing, telehealth, integrated HCV care in Syringe Service Programs, peer support and care navigation, dried blood spot testing and more. Gain the tools to expand and elevate your HCV service delivery. This symposium is essential for professionals working with people who use drugs and committed to advancing HCV care. Register via the links above or reach out to info@inhsu.org with any questions.

AATOD 2025 Conference: The Evolving Field of Opioid Treatment

October 4-8, 2025 | Philadelphia, PA

AATOD proudly presents the world’s premier training conference event for the treatment of Opioid Use Disorder. The AATOD Conference is the largest gathering of the opioid treatment community. This conference brings innovative people together in a diverse array of forums and workshops. Hot Topic Roundtable discussions, inspirational plenary sessions, tours of programs, and exhibit booths with the latest technologies, science, and products that support our work are just a few of the activities that surely stimulated participant discussion, debate, and innovative ideas to share with our respective areas of work, our communities, and our treatment programs nationwide. NASTAD will be facilitating a session on Sunday, October 5, titled “Partnerships across viral hepatitis shareholders including people with lived experience.” More information can be found here.

The 13th International Conference on Health and Hepatitis in Substance Users

October 14-17, 2025 | Cape Town, South Africa

Hosted by INHSU– the International Network on Health and Hepatitis in Substance Users – INHSU 2025 will welcome hundreds of attendees from across the globe, spanning sectors including harm reduction, infectious diseases, civil society, and drug policy. Registration information can be found here.

The Liver Meeting

November 7-11, 2025 | Washington, DC

Registration opens July 23, 2025. More information can be found here.

Hawai‘i Liver Summit 2025

December 6, 2025 | Honolulu, Hawai'i

This year’s theme is “The Future of Access,” which will feature real stories and cases of care and treatment access for liver diseases, including:

viral hepatitis B and C;
fatty liver (MASH/MASLD);
liver cancer prevention;
patient perspectives;
artificial intelligence;
LGBTQ+ and rural communities.

Jobs, Fellowships and Funding Opportunities:

Hepatitis C Elimination Initiative Pilot

The purpose of this proof-of-concept program is to leverage existing health care institutions’ capacity to prevent, test for, treat, and cure Hepatitis C (HCV) in individuals with substance use disorder (SUD) and/or severe mental illness (SMI), particularly in communities severely affected by homelessness and to gain insights on effective ways to identify patients, complete treatment and reduce reinfection.

Eligible applicants are States and Territories, including the District of Columbia, political subdivisions of States, Indian tribes or tribal organizations (as such terms are defined in section 5304 of title 25), health facilities, or programs operated by or in accordance with a contract or award with the Indian Health Service, or other public or private non-profit entities, including faith-based organizations.

Applications are due by Friday, August 1, 2025. More information can be found here.