World Hepatitis Day Action Alert

Hepatitis C Advocates UNITED

World Hepatitis Day Action Alert

Flood Congress With Calls on May 19th and Demand Leadership!

The statistics are staggering: Hepatitis C is the most common, chronic blood-borne viral infection in the United States An estimated 5 million Americans (at least 1 in 50) have been infected with the hepatitis C virus.

Hepatitis C is the most common cause of chronic liver disease in the U.S. – and chronic liver disease is in the top ten killers for Americans 25 years of age and older The federal government's response:

A mere $17 million per year for all viral hepatitis programs President Bush has proposed a cut in hepatitis funding in next year's budget Legislation to mount a comprehensive fight against the disease has stalled

Angry? Want to make a difference? Make three phone calls on May 19th and demand that Congress take action!

How you can help:

On Monday, May 19th (World Hepatitis Day), call your U.S. House Representative and two U.S. Senators in their Washington, DC office. Ask to speak to the staffperson who handles health care issues. You might speak to this person live or you might get voicemail. Deliver the following message:

"My name is __________ and I live in (your city/state). Today is World Hepatitis Day and I urge Representative/Senator ____________ to take a leadership role in the fight against the hepatitis C epidemic. An estimated 5 million Americans have been infected with the hepatitis C virus, but the federal government has not provided adequate funding or legislation to fight the epidemic. I urge the Representative/Senator to help change this situation by supporting $50 million for viral hepatitis programs in the Fiscal Year 2009 appropriation bill and by cosponsoring the "Hepatitis C Epidemic Control and Prevention Act."

You can reach your Senators and Representative by calling the Capitol switchboard toll-free at (800) 828-0498. If that number is busy, call (202) 224-3121. Ask to be connected to your Representative or Senator. If you don't know who represents you in Congress, go to www.congress.org and enter your zip code in the upper left corner.

*If you are unable to call on May 19th, please call no later than Friday, May 23rd.

If your Representative/Senator is on the following list, he or she has already cosponsored the "Hepatitis C Epidemic Control and Prevention Act." Please thank them and ask that they work to get other cosponsors.

House cosponsors:
Neil Abercrombie (HI)
Brian Baird (WA)
Shelley Berkley (NV)
Timothy Bishop (NY)
Elijah Cummings (MD)
Keith Ellison (MN)
Bart Gordon (TN)
Raul Grijalva (AZ)
John Lewis (GA)
Jim McDermott (WA)
James McGovern (MA)
Michael McNulty (NY)
Gregory Meeks (NY)
Ed Pastor (AZ)
Donald Payne (NJ)
Jim Ramstad (MN)
Edolphus Towns (NY)
Henry Waxman (CA)
Robert Wexler (FL)
Heather Wilson (NM)

Senate cosponsors:
Joe Biden (DE)
Barbara Boxer (CA)
Maria Cantwell (WA)
Thad Cochran (MS)
Kay Bailey Hutchison (TX)
Daniel Inouye (HI)
Tim Johnson (SD)
Ted Kennedy (MA)
Frank Lautenberg (NJ)
Mark Pryor (AR)
Gordon Smith (OR)
Olympia Snowe (ME)
Ron Wyden (OR)

Please forward this Alert widely! Thanks for making a difference!

For more information about this Alert, contact Ryan Clary at rclary@projectinform.org Hepatitis C Advocates UNITED! is a national, grassroots network of individuals and organizations fighting for increased funding for hepatitis programs and legislation to mount a comprehensive federal effort to fight the disease. We design grassroots strategies to educate our elected representatives about the need for adequate HCV funding and policies, including action alerts, sign-on letters legislative meetings, media activities, and other campaigns. We also share information and strategies on state-level issues and campaigns. We communicate through a moderated listserv and monthly conference calls. Hepatitis C Advocates UNITED! was formed by the Hepatitis C Appropriations Partnership (HCAP) and the National Hepatitis C Advocacy Council (NHCAC). To join the network, send an email to rclary@projectinform.org with "subscribe" in the subject field. Please include your name and city/state in the email.