Members of the Hepatitis C Trust and West Yorkshire Liver Care ODN, supported by Malcom Struthers from the Brunswick Centre in Huddersfield, attended the HIV Prevention England Conference 2024 in London on 6 September 2024.
The theme of the conference was ‘Prioritising Equity and Impact’ to support the 2030 goal of ending new cases of HIV in the UK.
John Fox and Asjad Mehmood from The Hepatitis C Trust, on behalf of the ODN, and Malcolm Struthers delivered a presentation on the partnership work between the Hepatitis C Trust and the Brunswick Centre that focuses on HIV, Hepatitis C, TB, sexual health and liver health. At the conference, the team showcased the work they had undertaken jointly with Mission Zero in Calderdale.
Some of the key messages of the presentation were:
- Take control of your health
- Treatment works
- Support is available
John Fox, West Yorkshire Peer Programme Manager, The Hepatitis C Trust said; “The conference was a great opportunity to showcase the great work our organisations are doing across Calderdale to increase awareness and knowledge of HIV, TB, and viral hepatitis. We are working with services to improve access to testing, treatment, and care whilst reducing the stigma for those who are affected by these diseases.”
Continuing the Mission Zero work in Calderdale the team have several activities and events to further community engagement, testing and screening. The team want to develop a Community Champions programme and a youth engagement programme to help educate more people about the cause. To support the programmes, they will also develop an e-learning package based on stigma to help reduce this in future.
For more information on Mission Zero Calderdale visit: https://www.missionzerocalderdale.co.uk/