Since its inception in 2003, “the Roundtable” (as we’re sometimes still called by longtimers) has shifted in shape and size, evolving to mount the strongest possible fight against viral hepatitis. What started as a coalition of organizations has expanded to include and elevate the voices of patient advocates and direct service providers. Today, there isn’t a table big enough to fit the network of incredible people advancing NVHR’s mission in communities throughout the country.
After 15 years as a fiscally-sponsored project, NVHR came under the umbrella of the Hepatitis Education Project in 2019, where it remains today. Here are some highlights:
2003
The year kicks off with an organizing group of 23 gathering to identify a mission and set goals. Come fall, nvhr.org is live, an executive committee has been elected, and more than 100 organizations attend the roundtable’s inaugural meeting in D.C.
2004-2006
Countless hours and nearly a million dollars are poured into developing Eliminating Hepatitis: A Call to Action, a 45-page plan to eliminate viral hepatitis in the U.S. The plan is published in April of 2006 and presented to Congress the following month.
2010
With support from NVHR, the Institute of Medicine publishes a key report on hepatitis and liver cancer that will spur the HHS to develop its first action plan around viral hepatitis the following year. NVHR advocates rally outside the U.S. Capitol on National Hepatitis Testing Day.
2011
NVHR and American Liver Foundation host Tune in to Hep C benefit with Gregg Allman and Natalie Cole raises $250,000 that NVHR distributed as mini-grants for hep C education and screening programs.
2015-2016
Following community campaigns led by Hepatitis B Foundation, Hep B United, the Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organizations & NVHR, CMS begins covering HCV screening for Baby Boomers and high-risk adults & HBV testing for at-risk seniors.
2017
A few years after DAAs launch with high price tags, NVHR teams up with Harvard’s Center for Health Law and Policy Innovation to assess and push for improvements to Medicaid recipients’ access to HCV treatment. NVHR sponsors a report from The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine titled A National Strategy for the Elimination of Hepatitis B and C.
2019
In July, NVHR holds a first-of-its-kind hepatitis C patient summit in Atlanta. Nearly 100 attendees from almost every state share their stories, learn new advocacy skills, and identify ways to improve elimination efforts. Also, NVHR becomes an initiative of the Hepatitis Education Project.
2023
For the first time, the White House announces a proposal for a National Hepatitis C Elimination Program. NVHR and advocates continue to raise the alarm that viral hepatitis treatments fail to reach most people who need them.