Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Looking Ahead At Hepatitis C As Health Reform Is Initiated

By William Remak, Chair, National Association of Hepatitis Task Forces


1-18-2012


For two decades since efforts were made to ensure our national blood supply was safe from hepatitis C we have seen steady progress by the pharmaceutical and bio-tech industry to find pathways to prevent and further detect this disease and also treat those that had an exposure and developed a chronic hepatitis condition. We have identified behaviors and cultural situations in our society that with some modification could have a significant impact on controlling the spread of disease and help prevent new incidences of disease in a number of ways. Caution and safety education has been strengthened and OSHA Blood Borne pathogen education and the monitoring of universal blood precautions in medical settings is improving due to the high profile outbreaks that have driven public opinion towards teaching patients to be more observant regarding their care and efforts by HHS to reduce medical errors and hospital borne infections that lead to hospital re-admissions.


In the new healthcare paradigm we are concerned with attaining outcomes that achieve our patient’s expectations and ideally produce real wellness by encompassing the patient as an entire human being both physically, mentally and culturally as is appropriate to their health needs. This is what we call “Patient Centered” healthcare. To deliver this care it will have to be coordinated well so that the most effective applications and management of care is shared with the entire team that interacts with the patient so that the best possible outcomes are within reach, produce the desired result and are affordable. Research in this arena is being done, information on models of care and how our healthcare workforce can be best utilized and effectively communicating and sharing data is being evaluated and will be easily accessible. A system where care is better managed, coordinated and continuity exists which will bring us to new heights in reducing costs of delivery and quality of outcomes while preventing the potential for chronic conditions.


To prevent new incidences and curb the spread of hepatitis C it is essential that education and general awareness of the issues related to transmission are common knowledge to the general public. This orientation should begin in middle school with education about liver wellness and expand further in high school to cover infectious diseases. Occupations that are engaged in hazardous activities where the possibility of exposure to blood exists need to take better and safer measures to protect themselves and others.


The research and developments of treatments for people with hepatitis C in society are driven by commercial interests and although these drugs do mitigate disease for a segment of society in the short term they do indirectly detract from funding developing medications that are easily tolerated with little to no side effects, accessible, easy protocols to adhere to and efficacious for most people. From a global perspective these drugs are available to less than 10 % of the earth’s population impacted by hepatitis C. Other avenues over the long term that will completely eliminate a disease globally are our best investment and that is where vaccine development is initiated in a multi-national non-profit collaborative research initiative. Regenerative medicine research is already making headway using this approach. The major health foundations on the planet are working with antiquated global burden of disease statistics with regards to infectious diseases and therefore are mis-directing funds towards other less catastrophic areas instead of hepatitis C where an epidemic spiraling out of control already exists along with long term economic implications as a devastating loss of production in our societies industry’s is growing. The mortality and costs are rising in greater proportions. That said, scientific bio-medical research in the life sciences and comparative effective research are the keys to gaining a foothold on this disease as can be said for cancer, heart disease and diabetes and other chronic conditions over the long term


The political will within our country at state and federal levels should be placed where it will best serve providing a vehicle for citizens to become more healthy, better educated and more productive in the fields that provide growth for their family, community and the potential for a future where they can fulfill their expectations, to live up to their full potential for success and dreams. The Affordable Care Act provides a pathway towards access to better health in 2014 but it is each citizen’s responsibility to themselves and their family to accept the challenge to improve their health and well-being so that they can flourish in today’s world regardless of the challenges we face so that our visions can be realized for the future. The leaders serving the people must serve the people’s interests rather than their own and always put the constituents first rather than the special interests of political brokers and lobbyists.


There are those that advocate for a survival of the fittest and are convinced that they are the ones that are privileged and destined to prevail but that flies in the face of our culture which looks after our own and protects the innocent, frail and elderly. We see those that would tear down the safety net health programs for the youth, the aged, the disabled and the poor because down the road the problem can be kicked like a can to our unsuspecting future generations or next administrations to handle. That is not the course to take but to stand firm and allow the transitions to occur that will transform through innovative actions and programs the building of our health system so that the disparities and human rights concerns become a thing of the past and that we all have a way to achieve better health and that those with hepatitis C will not need to agonize over the thoughts of their final wishes.

# # #

William Remak, BPHA, BSMT, SGNA, AHCJ

A onetime laboratory scientist at UCSF, William Remak is a survivor of liver cancer and two liver transplants. The organizations he established to help patients with liver disease have grown into networks in 26 states. He chairs the National Association for Hepatitis Task Forces and California Hepatitis C Task Force, and is on the Board of Directors of the California Chronic Care Coalition and also the FAIR Foundation. He is a member of the Marin County Pharmacists Association, Stem Cell Action Coalition and also serves as an adviser to the Pharmacists Planning Services, Inc. In his free time he enjoys serving as a volunteer and staff officer in the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary now in his 27th year. He has four adult children and three grandchildren. Mr. Remak resides in Petaluma, California. E-mail William Remak at wmremak@pacbell.net.

© Copyright 2012 – William (Bill) M. Remak All world rights reserved.