/R E P E A T -- Media Advisory - Interview Local Nurses Dedicated to the Hepatitis C Community: National Nursing Week - May 7 to 13, 2012/

TORONTO, April 30, 2012 /CNW/ - During National Nursing Week, Canadians will recognize and celebrate the important contributions nurses make daily to patient care in Canada. The role nurses play in the prevention and management of chronic hepatitis C, a potentially life-threatening virus, provides a powerful example of their impact as supporter, educator and counsellor.

Canadians living with chronic hepatitis C often fear the judgment of others because the virus infecting them is often associated with injection drug use. The reality is that people can contract the virus through a number of different ways including, body piercings, tattoos, blood transfusions or personal care items (razors).

Members of the Canadian Association of Hepatology Nurses (CAHN) build trusted relationships with patients by not focusing on how the hepatitis C virus was contracted, but rather on providing care and support that is beneficial, respectful and can lead to a cure.

The road to a cure is a difficult journey for patients living with chronic hepatitis C. While treatments can be very successful at getting rid of the virus, the stigma associated with the disease often requires patients to struggle through chemotherapy-like side effects in isolation.

CAHN wants to shatter the stigma for those people living with chronic hepatitis C by helping Canadians recognize that anyone, including someone they know and love, could be living with this virus. Stigma must not be a barrier to detection and treatment.

This National Nursing Week, celebrate the leadership provided by CAHN nurses in the prevention and management of chronic hepatitis C.

What: Interview opportunities with nurses and individuals living with chronic hepatitis C willing to share their stories
Who: Cheryl Dale, President of the Canadian Association of Hepatology Nurses, CAHN members and individuals living with chronic hepatitis C
Where: The following communities across Canada: Ontario (Toronto, Oakville, Mississauga, Guelph, Hamilton, Kitchener-Waterloo, Newmarket, Sutton, Sudbury, North Bay, and London), Quebec (Montreal), British Columbia (Vancouver, Kelowna, and Nanaimo), Alberta (Edmonton), Nova Scotia (Halifax), and Saskatchewan (Prince Albert)
When: National Nursing Week (May 7-13, 2012)

Julia Miller
416-849-2996
[email protected]