Since 1993, the Hepatitis Education Project (HEP) has been fighting to make viral hepatitis less deadly. What started as a support group for people living with chronic viral hepatitis has grown into Washington state’s only 501c3 organization devoted to stopping this silent killer.
Even as the CDC reports “chronic liver disease and cirrhosis” as the ninth leading cause of death in the U.S. (56,585 in 2021), awareness of viral hepatitis and linkage to care remain severely lacking. Of the 3.3 million Americans estimated to be living with chronic hepatitis B or C, over half don’t know their status. And unfortunately, knowledge is just part of the battle: only 1 in 3 people who test positive for HCV get linked to care, a rate that drops to 1 in 6 for anyone on Medicaid under 40.
Given that we already have the tools needed to eliminate these viruses, those numbers are unacceptable. Through outreach and within our space in Seattle’s Central District, HEP provides vaccinations, testing, and other essential health services at zero cost to the public. Beyond our backyard, HEP’s national arms—the National Hepatitis Corrections Network and the National Viral Hepatitis Roundtable—strive to ensure care reaches everyone who needs it no matter where they are.
Guided by tenets of harm reduction and health equity, our work prioritizes the needs of people who use drugs, those experiencing homelessness, and marginalized communities disproportionately impacted by viral hepatitis.
