hepc.bull – HISTORICAL HEP C BULLETIN

This page is an archive. Its content may no longer be accurate and was last updated on the original publication date. It is intended for reference and as a historical record only. For hep C questions, call Help4Hep BC at 1-888-411-7578.

VIEW or DOWNLOAD ANY BULLETIN BETWEEN 1996 and 2016! (Scroll down to select bulletin).

The hepc.bull was a monthly bulletin published in hard copy (eventually online as well) for twenty years, between 1996 and 2016, spotlighting activities, events, and stories in Canada’s hepatitis C community, as well as “translating” scientific treatment knowledge for this community. The editor of the bulletin for most of that time was hepatitis C advocate and survivor, Joan Diemcke-King of British Columbia. Early co-editors included Darlene Morrow and Chaim-David (CD) Mazoff. Between May, 1997 and May, 1998, the bulletin’s name was temporarily changed to hepcBC.bull.

Organizations behind the hepc.bull changed according to which group Joan Diemcke-King was associated: originally it was a combination of the Victoria, BC branches of the Hepatitis C Survivors’ Society (HeCSS) and the Hepatitis C Society of Canada (HeCSC). Members of Victoria and other British Columbia chapters of these two societies announced in the July 1, 1999 edition of the hepc.bull that they had incorporated as “HepCBC – The Hepatitis C Education and Prevention Society”. Founding Members were listed as “Joan King Diemcke, C.D. Mazoff, Darlene Nicolaas, Ronald E. Thiel, and Darlene Morrow”. The rest is history you can read about here…

Read about early HCV treatments such as Ozone, Blood Cleansing, and Laughter therapies, and trials for hepatitis C treatments including ribavirin and alpha-interferon. Re-live interactions between volunteer patient-advocates and the government, including public testing of political figures and submissions to government bodies. Analyze grassroots public awareness campaigns including bus ads, yellow/red ribbon campaigns, and outreach to prisoners, to users of intravenous drugs, and to various cultural (particularly indigenous and immigrant) communities. Thanks to the BC Hepatitis Network for sponsoring this legacy site, making this truly amazing history available to researchers and to those of us, many in our 70s, who remain alive today thanks to HCV treatments the medical community developed, the hepc.bull promoted, and government paid for. We owe a deep debt of gratitude to so many.

Major changes to hepatitis C treatment occurred from 2013 onward with the approval of new direct-acting antiviral (DAA) medications in Canada, with more widespread uptake of DAAs around 2015. Up-to-date information on currently available hep C treatment, patient support programs, and BC Pharma Care coverage can be found at bchep.org or by phoning or texting Help4Hep BC at 1-888-411-7578.

SCROLL BELOW TO ACCESS BULLETIN by DATE.  Example: hepc-bull_2016-09-01.pdf is the September, 2016 bulletin.