The ABC of hep C
Hepatitis means 'inflammation of the liver'. The liver is a vital organ — it does over 500 things, including detoxing the body of the poisons in medications, pollution and processed foods; storing iron and other vitamins; storing energy from food and releasing it when you need it; and defending against germs like flus and colds.
Carla’s story: I beat hep C and now I’m helping others
Carla is a peer worker at a Needle and Syringe Program and in the hep C testing and treatment space. She tells how she uses her lived experience helps her help others to access the health care they need.
Using in jail and hep C
Interview with 3 people with lived experience of incarceration who gave us the lowdown on the risk of hep C in jail and how it is best avoided.
More than 600 people tested for hep C by Peers on Wheels
In late March, the Peers on Wheels (POW) project carried out its 600th Point of Care Test (POCT) for the hep C virus. The POW project is an ongoing 1-year pilot scheme by NUAA — in partnership with The Kirby Institute, NSW Health, and selected Local Health Districts — to bring hep C testing and treatment to people who inject drugs, wherever they are in NSW.
Aunty Libby says: “Get tested! Get treated!”
Hep C isn’t nice. It makes you feel permanently sick and run down. There are reasons, however, why people might be reluctant about getting treated. Before 2016, the main treatment was Interferon. As Aunt Libby — an Aboriginal elder and grandmother of 13 (soon to be 14) — explains, that treatment could feel worse than the illness it was curing. The good news is that the new treatment (a box of pills called “Direct Acting Antivirals” or DAAs) is much easier: fewer pills, no injections and much fewer side effects. Furthermore, they are free or cheap, and if you get reinfected you can do the treatment again — as many times as you need to. Aunt Libby has had both hep C treatments. In this article she compares the 2 and says, “I’d recommend this treatment to anyone. But Interferon, they can forget about that one!”
POW! Breaking barriers to hep C care in the Suburbs
Through the Peers on Wheels (POW) project, NUAA has partnered with The Kirby Institute, NSW Health, and selected Local Health Districts, to work towards eliminating hep C through outreach, testing and offering treatment options. At the heart of the project is a van, with a Point of Care Testing (POCT) machine and a skilled peer workforce. The aim is to remove barriers to hep C treatment among people who inject drugs by going to where people live and providing the service without stigma. The POW team has visited various regional cities and towns and rural communities around NSW, but Users News caught up with them in Riverwood in the suburbs of Sydney.
I said, “I'll use more drugs and deal with my hep C tomorrow.” But tomorrow turned into 10 years. | Kate’s story
Kate is a proud Aboriginal woman who has a history of injecting heroin. She wants to share her unique experience of clearing hep C twice, nearly 2 decades apart. Her first treatment was in prison in the early 2000s, with Interferon. Soon after she got out of prison, she got hep C again and didn’t get treated until 2019. Getting treated a second time has been life changing for her and she now supports peers with hep C and drug use.
Keeping safe over Christmas | Sione’s tips
A number of things come up for users at this time of year: organising pharmacotherapy doses and inter-state transfers; wondering if your dealer is going to be working on Christmas Day; sorting out injecting equipment when NSP hours change over Christmas as staff have a well-earned break! ...But for many of us, there is no break from being a user. And the holiday period brings additional health issues for users, particularly overdose prevention and bloodborne virus awareness.
We drive innovation in drug user health
At NUAA’s recent Peers and Consumers Forum, NUAA’s Deputy Chief Executive Officer Charles Henderson gave the keynote address: Driving innovation: the role of NUAA in drug user health in NSW. This is a taste of his awesome presentation.
Peers On Wheels: the new van that is revolutionising hep C healthcare | Interview with MJ
Peers On Wheels (POW) is a new pilot project NUAA has launched. The project delivers mobile peer-led testing and treatment services for hepatitis C (hep C). POW is friendly, confidential, quick and easy. POW is visiting a bunch of places in NSW over the coming months. To help spread the word to peers, we interviewed MJ, the project’s Coordinator.
Why aren’t people in rural areas getting the new ‘game-changing’ hep C treatments? | Katrina’s Story
Katrina is a peer distributor for NUAA in a small rural town in NSW. She’s known she’s had hep C for 6 years but has found it hard to get treated because of the lack of services in her area and past experiences of stigma within a health care setting.
Ross’s 20+ year journey towards hep C treatment
“I was so run down all the time, drugs were the only way to give me energy and improve my mood”
Healthcare for All! Hurdles for overseas visitors who use drugs
People from overseas may face particular challenges seeking health care such as hepatitis C assessment, treatment and care.
Everyday Superheroes: Peers at Work
“Peer Worker” is an emerging role in the Alcohol and Other Drugs (AOD) space in NSW. Not only has research shown how valuable peer education and support is, services using peer workers see the difference every day as more consumers come through their doors to have more respectful and relevant interactions.
Millie’s story: Homo Harmo Hero!
“I got more involved with NUAA, going to their Consumer Academy courses. I trusted NUAA because I knew they were peers. I wanted to become involved in the rights of people who use drugs. I like the idea of harm reduction. It’s more “me” than abstinence.”
Chemsex Substance Specific Harm Reduction
A focus on some of the drugs that are more commonly-used in chemsex settings - methamphetamine, poppers/amyl, GHB, and erectile dysfunction medication such as Viagra and Cialis
FEATURE: CHEMSEX
Let’s talk about sex while on drugs! You might know it as ‘Party N Play’, ‘PnP’ or Chemsex - either way, check out these tips for doing it safely.
Kent's story: The new hep C treatments are like winning the lotto
‘You can’t know what is hep C and what is life, or getting older, or a lifetime of drug use. But once I got rid of it I knew — hep C had really held me back.‘
THOMAS'S STORY: HOW I'VE AVOIDED HEP C
‘When I inject into my veins, it’s my way or the highway.’
“While I’ve caused myself a few “headaches” by taking safe using seriously, it’s helped me steer clear of some nasty “migraines” like bloodborne viruses.