by Lucinda Porter, RN on May 19, 2012
Today is the first national Hepatitis Testing Day and I was wondering what the appropriate greeting is for this occasion. “Happy Hepatitis Testing Day” doesn’t seem appropriate; nor does “Merry Hepatitis Testing Day.” I thought about the condolence card approach, something like “Sorry to say it is Hepatitis Testing Day.” If I were going to send a card to commemorate the day, I have no idea what the outside of the card would look like.
What I do know is what the inside of the card would look like. It would say:
Get tested.
If you have hepatitis C, it is better to know than not know.
Knowledge is power.
You are not alone; millions of people in the U.S. have hepatitis C.
Help is a click away: www.hcvadvocate.org
To observe the day, I will be doing a presentation in Grass Valley, CA.
Hepatitis C: Preventable, Manageable, Curable
Presentation and book signing by Lucinda Porter, RN, author of Free from Hepatitis C
May 19, 2012 2:00-3:00 PM
Sierra Mountain Coffee Roasters/Tomes
671 Maltman Drive, Grass Valley CA 95945
by Lucinda Porter, RN on May 17, 2012
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) first national Hepatitis Testing Day is in two more days. The CDC’s campaign has an ingenious slogan—Know More Hepatitis with the term No More cleverly embedded. The message stresses that knowledge and awareness lead to action. In this case, “know more hepatitis” leads to “no more hepatitis.”
It is tempting to bemoan the fact that hepatitis programs are woefully underfunded; to complain about inadequate federal funding specifically for hepatitis and for health in general. However, concentrating on scarcity seems like a misuse of focus. Case in point, an oppressive Egyptian government was toppled with the use of social media. Lack of funding did not stop the Egyptian people from changing the world.
It is time to topple this virus. No more hepatitis begins with know more hepatitis. We need to get the word out, whether you tell, tweet, email, blog, write, or shout it from the rooftops. Join the conversation – join the revolution.
