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Arts therapy helps Waikato man help others

Stephen Cook had a troubled upbringing, surrounded by drugs, alcohol and violence. Now the 58-year-old ex-sheep farmer of Tahuna is living with the complications of liver damage and is studying creative arts therapy – a form of psychotherapy that utilises creative outlets to improve physical, mental, emotional and spiritual wellbeing.Creative expressions have been shown to have significant impact on the healing process for people with trauma, addictions and psychological or emotional issu...

Pets can help you love your liver

As animal-lovers will already know, owning a pet can have a positive impact on people’s mental health and well-being. Evidence shows this is due to several reasons.They can help reduce depression and anxiety by giving people something other than themselves to care about. Patting or stroking them can help relieve stressOwning a pet, particularly a dog that needs daily walks, will get you out and about. A pet will challenge you to be more active and take better care of yourselfExercise ...

Online hepatitis learning resource series launched

A series of online learning resources launched by the Hepatitis Foundation of New Zealand will help general practitioners stay informed about liver health and keep up with best practice developments.   The first module in the series of learning resources was published here on June 18. It gives healthcare professionals an introduction to hepatitis B, outlining biological characteristics of the virus, at-risk groups, treatment objectives and much more. The hepatitis B...

Free morning tea up for grabs for GPs

July 28 is World Hepatitis Day. To celebrate we’ll bring morning tea to the GP clinic with the most colourful hepatitis B display. To enter, simply create a display and email us photos of it by July 23, 2021....

Support for Australian hepatitis elimination plan

The Hepatitis Foundation of New Zealand is a signatory to an Australian action plan for eliminating hepatitis B and hepatitis C by 2030. Conceived by a collaboration of leading Australian research, advocacy and community bodies including Hepatitis Australia, the Doherty Institute, Kirby Institute, Australasian Hepatology Association and Burnet, the action plan spells out six actions the Australian government can take by the end of 2022.These actions include:Allocating additional i...

Positive feedback raises hepatitis awareness

The Hepatitis Foundation of New Zealand has been invited to join the 2021 Most Trusted business directory, thanks to the positive feedback from many of our patients.This membership helps raise our profile and encourage people who need our support to register with us. If you’ve had a positive experience with us, please let us know about it here....

Recognising nurses' hard work

This week we’re joining the International Council of Nurses in celebrating nurses everywhere. Especially our wonderful community hepatitis nurses. Lynnaire, Helen, Siaw Ling, Becky, Jillian, Nicola and Diane work tirelessly to support New Zealanders with liver conditions, and they do a fabulous job ensuring people get the help and advice they need.Thanks, ladies, we really appreciate everything you do....

Foundation fibroscans on hold

Our nurses are currently unable to offer fibroscans until further notice. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause and will advise when we can resume these clinics.In the meantime, please contact alternative providers for information or to book a fibroscan. ...

Driving force behind hepatitis B research

It is largely thanks to Dr Christopher Moyes that New Zealand children can be protected from hepatitis B. Chris was one of the driving forces behind the 1984 Kawerau Prevalence Study, which saw 93 percent of the town screened for hepatitis B (HBV) and showed that Maori and European children had among the highest rates of hepatitis B in the world.   Convinced vaccination of all infants at birth would eventually eradicate HBV from NZ, Chris played a key r...

Enrolling for free monitoring just got easier

Registering for free liver health monitoring is now much easier, thanks to our new online self-referral form. If you have hepatitis B and aren't yet enrolled with us, you can join our programme here. The programme includes:Access to community hepatitis nursesAccess to specialist care if neededRegular blood testsLiver assessment, including a fibroscan (ultrasound)Resources and information about hepatitis B, testing and treatmentAdvice and supportA hepatitis helpline.Please contact us&nb...

Providing equitable, appropriate care for those with hepatitis C

Viral hepatitis C affects an estimated 80 million people worldwide. Diagnosing and engaging in meaningful care for people living with the virus is an urgent priority. Our nurse practitioner (intern) Nicola Caine discusses the issue in this month's Kaitiaki magazine....

Measles - can it lead to liver complications?

What is measles?Measles is a highly infectious viral illness. Measles is one of the world’s most infectious diseases. It spreads easily through the air by sneezing or coughing. It can also be spread by touching surfaces contaminated with mucus or saliva.What are the symptoms?Measles causes a skin rash and fever. But it can also lead to serious complications. About one in 10 people with measles will need hospital treatment. However most people will recover after 7–10 days.Symptoms usually beg...

Progress made with overdue patients

Recently we’ve been focusing on contacting patients who are overdue for blood tests (which are vital if you have hep B, by the way, so signs of liver damage can be picked up early). Our admin team has reduced the overdue patients by nearly 11 percent. We’ve also reconnected with people who dropped out of touch and hadn’t seen us for follow-up since 1993.Great news we can now once again give them any support they need. Well done to our hard-working admin staff....

COVID vaccinations for people with chronic liver disease

Studies show that people with conditions including chronic liver disease (particularly cirrhosis), may be at higher risk of death from COVID-19. The American Society for the Study of Liver Disease therefore recommends these people are prioritised for COVID-19 vaccinations....

Speaking out about hepatitis C

Phillip Baldwin was diagnosed with HIV and hepatitis C at 24. Now he's an activist for HIV, hepatitis and human rights issues. Story courtesy of the World Hepatitis Alliance. I was just 24 years old when I was diagnosed with HIV and hepatitis C.   I was diagnosed with HIV during a lunch break from work, then a week later I was told I also had hepatitis C. It came as a complete shock, and this double whammy had a huge impact on my life. I felt fear, shame, grief, and a...

COVID update

As you'll have heard, Auckland will be moving back into level three lockdown from 6am tomorrow for seven days. The rest of NZ will go to level two. So our Auckland nurses will not be doing patient visits until further notice. Our Whakatane office will have limited staff on site but please continue to call or email us for liver health advice and support....

Why you should protect your skin while working out

We often talk about the important role exercise plays in living a healthy lifestyle. Staying active helps improve mood, sleep and brain function, and it can lower your risk of liver damage, heart disease and some cancers. While you’re working out, though, especially if you’re outside, remember to slip, slop and slap to keep your skin safe.Here in New Zealand we have the world’s highest rates of melanoma, which accounts for almost 80 percent of all skin cancer deaths.Anyone can develop skin...

Summer exercise tips

Summer is drawing to a close but there’s still plenty of sunshine to come, so now’s a good time to make the most of the long days and get in some exercise before winter takes hold. Here are some tips for keeping yourself healthy and well while you work out.Stay hydratedIt might seem obvious, but make sure you drink plenty of water. If you wait until you feel thirsty, you’re already slightly dehydrated. It’s a good idea to drink a glass or two of water before you exercise, as we...

Successful day at Chinese festival

The 2021 Chinese New Year festival was a fantastic experience for the members of our community nursing team who attended. About 300 people visited our liver health stand and the feedback was very positive.Kelly Hayes, our operations manager, says the team distributed nearly 50 blood test forms and formed relationships with many people who would like follow-up information and/or nurse contact.Prizes and decorations tailored to a Chinese audience helped draw people to the stand and it was a great ...

Ready to embrace challenges of liver health role

New Hepatitis Foundation of NZ board member Dr Anna Rolleston is looking forward to the challenges of the role. As the managing director of Manawaora/The Centre for Health, which specialises in a kaupapa Maori primary care approach to long-term condition management, Anna is passionate about supporting organisations that have an impact on Maori and Pacific Island families.She founded Manawaora 10 years ago and focuses on conditions such as heart disease, diabetes and renal conditions. “Not so m...

Cementing spot as leading liver health info source

The Hepatitis Foundation of New Zealand website is performing increasingly well in Google searches following the introduction of a new content strategy in 2020.The strategy aims to better position the organisation as NZ’s leading source of liver health information. Since implementation began on September 25, the foundation has climbed higher in the list of results that show up for various liver health search terms.When searching ‘Liver NZ’ in September, for example, the foundation was the ...

Performance highlights 2019-2020

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Fuel your body the right way

Your diet plays a huge part in your health and well-being. Eating well and being active helps improve mood, sleep and brain function, and it increases your chances of living a long life to enjoy with your family and friends. Healthy eating can lower your risk of heart disease, liver damage, stroke and some cancers.  What should you eat?To maintain a healthy diet it's recommended you eat a variety of foods that give your body the nutrients it...

NZ hub for Australasian health conference

A hub model has been announced for the 2021 Australasian Viral Hepatitis Conference. That means there'll be a branch of the event in Auckland as well as in Brisbane and Sydney. The hub model allows for face-to-face interaction while ensuring attendees and speakers are protected in these COVID times. Our operations manager Kelly Hayes is on the organising committee and says this year's conference will be well worth attending.Each day of the three-day conference will take place in a...

Encouraging Chinese people to love their livers

New Zealand’s Chinese communities are among the highest risk groups for liver diseases such as hepatitis B. That’s why liver health nurses around the North Island, particularly in Auckland, will be increasing efforts to engage with them in 2021. These engagement initiatives include next month’s Chinese New Year festival in Auckland. Three Hepatitis Foundation of NZ nurses will attend the festival to raise awareness of hepatitis B and other liver diseases. Hepatitis B is contagiou...