Hepatitis C Veterans Rally
and Demonstration
Veterans Administration
810 Vermont Ave
Washington DC.
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Purpose
On Sept. 5th the VA's Natl. HCV Community Advisory Board will
meet at 923 16th ST & K ST NW . The St Regis Hotel.
At 8:00 am Hepatitis C Veterans/Active Military & Dependents
will gather in front of the Veterans Administration, 810 Vermont
Ave.
We will demonstrate to the veterans administration that Hepatitis
C Veterans/Active Military & Dependents will no longer
be silent.
At 9:00 am marchers will proceed to the St. Regis Hotel for
the meeting, where we will demonstrate to the VA the real
transmission methods that existed and continue to exist today
for HCV.
We will insist that these methods be addressed and acknowledged
by the VA.
We will insist the VA stop the spread of HCV and make aware
all risks factors so informed decisions on testing can be
made and lives can be saved.
We will show the VA that HCV is a "presumed" service
connected disease and we are entitled to the promises made
by the United States Government.
We will tell the VA the war is not over for us and many are
still dying.
We will plead with the VA to become part of the solutions.
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8:00 am - Rally begins at the Veterans
Administration, 810 Vermont Ave
9:00 am - March North on Vermont Ave
NW toward I ST NW , Turn right onto 16th ST NW stopping
at 923 16th ST & K ST NW . The St Regis Hotel
3:30 pm - Return S 16TH ST NW, Left
onto H ST NW, Left onto Vermont Ave Back to the Veterans
Administration, 810 Vermont Ave.
until 5:00 pm
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H.R. 73, The Comprehensive Hepatitis C Health Care
Act for Veterans was introduced on January 7, 2003.
Introduction of legislation is to help veterans who may have
Hepatitis C get better care and testing from the Department
of Veterans Affairs (VA). Unfortunately this bill does
not include transmission methods military veterans were exposed
to. In the past, other Veterans bills failed to pass
Congress because the bills did include transmission methods
and these methods were "key" arguing points between
groups.
Because no transmission methods are defined in H73, Veterans
will fall under the CDC National Hepatitis C prevention strategy
plan's definition for transmission methods. The Veterans Administration
denies Hepatitis C is a service related disease based on the
following CDC statement. The CDC states:
"Most risk factors associated with transmission of HCV
in the United States were identified in case-control studies
conducted during 1978-1986. These risk factors included blood
transfusion, injecting-drug use, employment in patient care
or clinical laboratory work, exposure to a sex partner or
household member who has had a history of hepatitis, exposure
to multiple sex partners, and low socioeconomic level.
These studies reported no association with military service
or exposures resulting from medical, surgical, or dental procedures,
tattooing, acupuncture, ear piercing, or foreign travel.
If transmission from such exposures does occur, the frequency
might be too low to detect."[7]
If, this bill passes as currently proposed, Congress
will allow Health and Human Services to implement the pre
approved CDC Hepatitis C Prevention plan to put HCV into STD
clinics, and only STD clincis.
We must make the VA publicly accountable, with a commitment
that pre universal precautions and the jet gun injectors used
until 1997, are transmission modes for HCV and will be addressed.
It's time we take our lives back!
Here
is a link to the report on the web
that talks more about the mismanagement of HCV.
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