Viral Hepatitis in Hawai‘i – Differing Perspectives
VI. Summary and Conclusions
Alan D. Tice MD
p. 18
Understanding the varied perspectives of patients, physicians, administrators, and community advocates who are closely involved with different aspects of hepatitis are important steps toward the development of effective, collaborative management strategies. Although viral hepatitis has been termed the ‘Silent Epidemic’ due to infection that too often goes undetected and untreated because patients and physicians may be unaware of who is at risk or may fail to pursue testing, the communities in which the virus is prevalent cannot afford to be silent any longer. It is reminiscent of the parable of the blind man and the elephant wherein different opinions and expertise were compiled in an effort to determine an appropriate course of action. In this case, the ‘elephant’ is hepatitis, and the yearly symposia sponsored by the Hepatitis Support Network of Hawai‘i are one tool being implemented in order to bring many backgrounds and perspectives together for a single purpose, which is to highlight and share the challenges and solutions of living with and treating viral hepatitis. With the help and support of the medical community and individuals who have been personally affected by viral hepatitis, the future of hepatitis detection, therapies, cure rates, and other challenges unique to the disease is promising.
Figure 3.- The Blind Men and the Elephant – an Oriental rendition.
Acknowledgements
This publication is derived from talks given by individual speakers at the 2007, 2008, and 2009 annual Viral Hepatitis Symposia sponsored by the Hepatitis Support Network of Hawai‘i. The publication of this supplement is made possible through the contributions of many different pharmaceutical companies, editors and technical writers, service providers, and a host of volunteers. The authors are grateful to all of the individuals and organizations who directly or indirectly provided support for this project. We thank them for their support and hope that this publication will provide cooperative knowledge, insight, and understanding of the practical issues of patient care.
Correspondence to:
Alan Tice MD, FACP
Infections Limited Hawai‘i
1286 Queen Emma Street
Honolulu, HI 96813
Ph: (808) 538-2881 or (808) 373-3488
Fax: (808) 536-2024
Email: alantice@idlinks.com
Authors’ Affiliations:
- Kenneth Akinaka – Hepatitis Advocate, Executive Director of the Hepatitis Support Network of Hawai‘i
- Kay Bauman MD, MPH – Department of Public Safety, State of Hawai‘i Prison System
- Tarquin Collis MD – Chief, Department of Infectious Diseases, Kaiser Permanente, Honolulu, Hawai‘i
- C. Bradley Hare MD – Assistant Clinical Professor of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco
- William Haning MD – Addiction Psychiatry Specialist, Pacific Addiction Research Center, Associate Professor, Department of Psychiatry, University of Hawai‘i John A. Burns School of Medicine, Medical Director, Behavioral Health Services, The Queen’s Medical Center, Honolulu
- Joseph Humphry MD – Medical Director, HMSA
-Robert Jao MD – Gastroenterology Specialist, Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine, University of Hawai‘i John A. Burns School of Medicine
- Carroll Leevy MD – Associate Professor of Medicine, New Jersey Medical School Liver Center Department *Deceased 2009
- Heather Lusk – Hepatitis C Coordinator, Hawai‘i Department of Health
- Neal Palafox MD – Family Practice, Wahiawa General Hospital, Professor and Chair, Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, University of Hawai‘i John A. Burns School of Medicine
- Alan Tice MD – Infectious Disease Specialist, Associate Professor of Tropical Medicine, University of Hawai‘i John A. Burns School of Medicine, Director of Outpatient Parenteral Antimicrobial Therapy (OPAT)
- Nancy Withers, MD, MPH – Psychiatrist, Mental Health Team, VA Pacific Islands Health Care System, Clinical Associate Professor, Department of Psychiatry, University of Hawai‘i John A. Burns School of Medicine
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