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Swimming against a Tide of Ignorance The Hepatitis C Outreach Project (HCOP) is the oldest organization in this country specifically dedicated to meeting the needs of people with hepatitis C (HCV). Its executive director, Teresa Hanbey, created HCOP as an Internet service in 1992 and has been swamped with requests for information ever since. HCOP has managed to meet those requests with an ever-growing library of research, resources, and professional advice. Teresa Hanbey's mission is to raise awareness about HCV and promote its prevention and treatment. It is important to get the word out to more people-not only to healthcare professionals, but also to the growing number of people at risk who need to be tested. Raising awareness about HCV is critical, since so many people already have the disease and are unaware of it. According to Hanbey, approximately 95% of those who would test positive, if properly screened, have not yet been diagnosed. This poses serious risks for a large and growing population, because of potential liver damage as well as increasing rates of transmission. The current challenges for HCOP are to give physicians up-to-date information about HCV, to train community leaders to interpret clinical information for these members, and to educate patients to the highest level possible in order to create patient leaders in the HCV community. To raise concern over HCV to an appropriate level, Teresa Hanbey spends a great deal of her time bringing people together to respond to the HCV crisis at national and local levels. For example, she has spoken to community leaders across the country and has invited African American leaders to attend an NIH conference on HCV. HCOP has scored many "firsts" in the battle against HCV, including being the first to:
As a key consultant in the treatment and prevention of HCV, Hanbey and her group-a volunteer staff that includes lawyers, educators, medical professionals, and social workers-provide the latest available information on the disease. They also provide CME programs for doctors, assist community organizations, and serve on several policy-making boards. The Project is organized primarily through the Internet. You can access this important resource at <http://www.hcop.org>. |
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