First Ever National Hispanic Hepatitis Awareness Day 2012 Official Website Launch

National Hispanic Hepatitis Awareness Day has officially launched the

unveiling of its website, www.hispanichepatitisday.org. The

website holds a wealth of resources ranging from information on

Hispanics/Latinos and viral hepatitis to tools on how to engage

Hispanic/Latino communities on a range of events, including hepatitis C

testing. The Hispanic Hepatitis Day campaign works annually at building

capacity for non-profit organizations, service providers and health

departments in order to reach Hispanic/Latino communities, promote

screening and testing, provide viral hepatitis education, and connect

people to care.

The Hispanic Hepatitis Day will take place annually on May 15, during

National Hepatitis Awareness Month. This year’s theme – Let’s Talk

– speaks to the critical role of raising

awareness around viral hepatitis, especially screening and testing, due

to the late testing realities faced by Hispanic/Latino communities. Data

shows that Hispanics/Latinos progress to cirrhosis faster and have

higher cirrhosis mortality rates than non-Hispanic Blacks and Whites.

infected with hepatitis C as compared to the general population.

You can obtain more information about hepatitis testing or find a

testing location near you by calling the CDC hotline at 1-800-232-4636

or by visiting www.hispanichepatitisday.org.

For more information on National Hispanic Hepatitis Awareness Day,

please visit www.hispanichepatitisday.org

or contact Bethsy Morales-Reid, Director at bmorales@hispanichepatitisday.org

or 212-675-3288.

ABOUT THE LATINO COMMISSION ON AIDS

The Latino Commission on AIDS (Commission) is a nonprofit membership

organization founded in 1990 dedicated to addressing the health

challenges and addressing the impact of HIV/AIDS. The Commission is the

leading national Latino AIDS organization coordinating National Hispanic

Hepatitis Awareness Day, National Latino AIDS Awareness Day and other

prevention, research, capacity building and advocacy programs across the

United States and its territories.