Strategies for raising public awareness on hepatitis C

The department of health and senior services may, in conjunction with existing or future health awareness programs for similar at-risk populations, use the following strategies for raising public awareness of the causes, including personal risk factors, and nature of hepatitis C, the value of prevention and early detection, and options for diagnosing and treating the disease: (1) An outreach campaign utilizing print, radio, and television public service announcements, advertisements, posters, and other materials; (2) Community forums; (3) Health information and risk-factor assessment at public events; (4) Targeting at-risk populations; (5) Providing reliable information to policy makers; (6) Distributing information through local health agencies, schools, employer wellness programs, physicians, hospitals, health maintenance organizations, prisons, sports leagues, nonprofit organizations, community-based organizations, state fairs and department of health and senior services offices; (7) Identifying and obtaining educational materials, including brochures and videotapes, that translate accurately the latest scientific information on hepatitis C in easy-to-understand terms; and (8) Building a statewide capacity to provide information and referrals on all aspects of hepatitis C, including, but not limited to, educational materials, counseling, and patient support groups.