PAETC Webinar Series – Recordings and Slides

To find out about the upcoming PAETC webinars and to view recordings and slides from previous PAETC webinars, click here.

Hepatitis B and HIV Webinar

This webinar will take place on June 25th from 12:00 – 1:00 PM Pacific Standard time and will review the importance of HBV screening and provide a brief update of the newest HBV treatment options for HIV-infected patients.

To learn more and to register click here.

New ACA Tools on TARGET Center Website

To learn about these resources, click here.

Ryan White Providers and Medicaid: Preparing for 2014 Webinar June 3, 11:30-1:00 pm PST

This webinar, one in a series cosponsored by HRSA and Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS), is designed to orient Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program grantees and providers to the changing landscape of 2014. The webinar will focus on coordination across Medicaid and the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program and highlight the differences between the current and future health care system for Ryan White providers. Areas to be explored during the webinar include: 1) funding sources and billing options; 2) contracting structures; 3) services that are reimbursable by insurers; and 4) infrastructure considerations. It will address Medicaid managed care regulations that may apply to Ryan White providers and will include a state perspective through a representative from the Washington State Department of Health, and also a Ryan White provider. They will share suggestions for next steps for health departments and Ryan White providers to consider in preparing for health care reform systems transitions.

This is a Save the Date – registration and log-in information will be available shortly.

“Lights, Camera, Action: Using You Tube Videos in PowerPoint, Webinars and Everyday AETC Life” Webinar Recording and Slides

To view the recording and slides from this AETC National Resource Center E-Learn webinar, click here for the recording.

Hepatitis Testing Day – May 19, 2013

May 19, 2013 marks Hepatitis Testing Day.

According to the CDC:

Hepatitis C

• About 3 million adults in the U.S. are infected with the hepatitis C virus, most are “baby boomers” born between 1945 and 1965. African Americans have a substantially higher rate of chronic hepatitis C infection than Caucasians and other ethnic groups.
• Up to 3 in 4 people don’t know they’re infected with hepatitis C, so they aren’t receiving the medical care they need to prevent serious liver damage. Latinos are less likely to be tested than individuals of other races/ethnicities even in the presence of a known risk factor.
• Every year, approximately 15,000 people in the United States die from hepatitis C-related liver disease.

Hepatitis B
• An estimated 800,000 – 1.4 million people are living with chronic hepatitis B infection. Asian and Pacific Islanders (APIs) make up less than 5% of the total population in the United States, but account for more than 50% of Americans living with chronic hepatitis B virus.
• Over time, approximately 15%–25% of people with chronic hepatitis B develop serious liver problems, including liver damage, cirrhosis, liver failure, and even liver cancer.
• Approximately 3,000 people in the U.S. die from hepatitis B-related liver disease. Chronic hepatitis B and associated liver cancer in APIs is one of the most serious health disparities in the United States.

Find out ways in which you can acknowledge the day from the links below:

• Learn more about hepatitis through the CDC’s Know More Hepatitis campaign and other resources from its Division of Viral Hepatitis. To learn about the campaign, click here.
• CDC recommends that anyone born from 1945-1965 get tested at least once in their lifetime for hepatitis C. To view a video about the CDC recommendations on testing, click here.
• To view a list of who should be tested for Hepatitis B, click here.
• Get tested for hepatitis B and C. If you feel you are at risk of hepatitis, try this online hepatitis risk assessment from CDC. To access the survey, click here.
• CDC has developed tools to help you spread the word on Hepatitis Testing Day on May 19 and beyond. Some of these tools are free web buttons and badges you can place on your website; put them on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, or other social media to help raise awareness. To access these tools, click here.

Mental Health Screening Tools for the HIV Clinician

This webinar from the Pacific AETC, will review common psychiatric disorders in HIV, and relevant screening tools will be discussed. To learn more and to register, click here.

DHHS and HRSA Announce Funding for Part C Capacity Development Program

This funding is available for existing Part C grantees to support short-term ACA related activities and/or infrastructure development activities, to increase high quality HIV primary health care services for people living with HIV or who are at risk of infection in under-served or rural communities. Application due date is May 30, 2013. To learn more, click here.

Overcoming Barriers to Care: Scaling Up HCV Therapy Among HIV-Infected Individuals in the Era of Direct-Acting Agents

This 1.5 hour PAETC webinar, presented by Dr. Edward Cachay, MD, Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine and Medical Director of the HIV Hepatitis Co-infection Clinic at UCSD Medical Center, will discuss the barriers to care in initiating HCV treatment and update providers on identifying appropriate HCV therapies and therapeutic outcomes. To learn more and to register, click here.

U.S. Preventive Services Task Force Final Recommendation on Screening for HIV

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (Task Force) has issued a final recommendation that clinicians screen all people aged 15-65, as well as younger adolescents and older adults at increased risk for HIV infection. Additionally, the Task Force recommends that all pregnant women, including those in labor with unknown HIV status be screened for HIV. To learn more, click here.