The Caring Ambassadors Program uses a unique approach in our work to address the elimination
of viral hepatitis and specifically hepatitis C.
Our three main methods to combat hepatitis C are to Empower patients and providers to increase their knowledge of hepatitis C to improve access a cure; to Educate systems and communities on how to integrate viral hepatitis services into existing programming; and to Advocate on behalf of patients and communities to create sound policy, funding and messaging. We are honored to serve the community to help eliminate the largest infectious disease outbreak of our time; we promise to be BOLD in our approach to creating paths to health and making hepatitis C history.
AmazonSmile is a website operate by Amazon with the same products, prices and shopping features as Amazon.com. The difference is that when you shop on AmazonSmile, the AmazonSmile Foundation will donate 0.5% of the purchase price of eligible products.
MY CHOICES© is a tool to help you recognize and act upon what you can control in your health care journey to achieve optimal healing, regardless of the illness you face. It contains elements of a guide book, health planner, journal, and activity book to help orient you to and plan for the journey ahead.
Order Educational Materials
Free brochures and materials
Order Educational Materials. Caring Ambassadors Program believes that knowledge is power. We strive to empower patients, systems and communities to increase their knowledge of hepatitis C in effort to eliminate the largest infectious disease outbreak of our time.
Pre-training Webinar: Syndemics & Viral Hepatitis The Bigg Elimination Tribute Project is an innovative approach to a Chicago-based hepatitis C (HCV) micro-elimination program, and was built in honor of a friend of the Caring Ambassadors, the late, Dan Bigg.
Weekly News Update.
Caring Ambassadors Program provides 3 weekly news updates covering Lung Cancer News, Hepatitis C News, and My Choices© Update. Receive them delivered weekly to your inbox.
Hepatitis C News
Week Ending February 24, 2020
Ledipasvir/sofosbuvir in adolescents with chronic hepatitis C genotype 4 with and without hematological disorders: Virological efficacy and impact on liver stiffness
(https://www.mdlinx.com/journal-summaries/hepatitis-c-chronic-ledipasvir-sofosbuvir-adolescents/2020/02/20/7609410/)
‘Researchers examined the efficacy of ledipasvir/sofosbuvir for chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 4 in adolescents with/without hematological disorders. Further, they assessed how sustained virological response (SVR) affects liver stiffness.’
Long-term safety and efficacy results in hepatitis C virus genotype 1–infected patients receiving ombitasvir/paritaprevir/ritonavir + dasabuvir ± ribavirin in the TOPAZ-I and TOPAZ-II trials
(https://www.mdlinx.com/journal-summaries/chronic-hcv-direct-acting-antiviral-sustained/2020/02/17/7609409)
‘The phase 3 clinical trials including > 2,300 HCV genotype 1–infected patients and real-world evidence studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of the 3-direct-acting antiviral agent regimen consisting of ombitasvir/paritaprevir/ritonavir plus dasabuvir (OBV/PTV/r + DSV) ± ribavirin (RBV) for achieving high sustained virologic response rates (~95%).’
90% of injection drug users miss opportunities for HIV or HCV testing
‘Using data from more than 840,000 health care encounters, researchers estimated that around 90% of people who inject drugs missed opportunities for HIV or hepatitis C virus testing during a recent 8-year period — especially rural males seeking care for skin infections or endocarditis.’
Hepatitis C-Exposed Infants–Time to Move the Needle on Screening
‘In a recently released issue of Pediatrics, Dr. Susan M Lopata and colleagues (10.1542/peds.2019-2482) report on screening rates for Hepatitis C among infants exposed prenatally to the virus. The prevalence of Hepatitis C among adults in the United States, including among expectant women, has risen over the past decade, with an estimated 2.4 million people now living with Hepatitis C.’
Marked Heterogeneity in the Diagnosis of Compensated Cirrhosis in Chronic HCV
‘The determination of cirrhosis varies widely among institutions and hepatologists, as well as the severity of liver fibrosis in patients with compensated cirrhosis and those without cirrhosis, according to the results of a study published in the Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology.’
My Choices© Update
Week Ending February 24, 2020
Green Tea + Exercise = Healthy Liver, Study Suggests
“The combination of green tea extract and exercise reduced the severity of obesity-related fatty liver disease by 75% in mice fed a high-fat diet, according to a new study from Penn State.”
Influencers Suggest No-Fluid Diets As Way To ‘Reset’ Your Kidneys. Experts Say: Don’t Do This.
“Your body likes homeostasis,” said Dr. Pauline Yi, a physician at UCLA Health Beverly Hills. “If you’re going to cut back on water, your body will produce hormones and chemicals to hold onto any water.” In other news: sneaky sugars, sleep and obesity, the Mediterranean diet, and exercise via video games.”
9 Weird Things That Stress Can Do To Your Body
“If you’ve ever experienced a tension headache after a long week at work, then you’ve had a glimpse of the physical effects of stress on your body. But beyond that headache, along with the classic racing heart and strained muscles, stress can cause some lesser-known, even peculiar, symptoms.”
Mediterranean diet linked to gut microbiome improvements
“New research has found that older people who adhered to a Mediterranean diet for a year had healthier gut microbiomes and improved measures of frailty.”
Food that’s better for all of us and the planet
“Forget the food pyramid, or even the FDA’s more recent ChooseMyPlate initiative, aimed at getting Americans to eat healthier. If our species and our planet are to survive, humanity needs to refocus on a diet that encompasses not only fruits and vegetables but also sustainability and social justice, according to participants at a wide-ranging summit on food production, diet, and sustainability in Boston on Wednesday.”