Hepatitis SA

Our Vision
The physical and emotional wellbeing of South Australians living with viral hepatitis is optimised and the transmission of viral hepatitis is prevented.

Our Mission
Lead the community response to viral hepatitis in South Australia

Our Values
Participation of people affected by viral hepatitis
Respect for diversity and the context of people’s lives
Partnership
Creativity and innovation
Evidence-based practice
Accountability and transparency

Our Guiding Principles
Health Promotion – The Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion provides a framework for effective action and facilitates the active participation of affected communities and individuals to increase their influence over the determinants of their health and the formulation of public policy that supports healthy behaviours.

Harm Reduction – refers to policies, programmes and practices that aim primarily to reduce the adverse health, social and
economic consequences of the use of legal and illegal psychoactive drugs without necessarily reducing drug consumption.
Harm reduction benefits people who use drugs, their families and the community.

Access and Equity – Healthcare should be accessible to all based on need, and address the multiple dimensions of inequality related to geographic location, gender, sexuality, drug use, socioeconomic status, migration status, language, religion or culture.

Self Determination – is the freedom of people to live according to their own values and beliefs, and includes the right to choose one’s own course of action in relation to their health.

Our Services
Hepatitis SA provides education, information, support and referral services on all aspects of viral hepatitis, including prevention; testing; diagnosis; management, care and support including treatment; disclosure; stigma and discrimination. We also provide hepatitis C and Clean Needle Program ( CNP ) peer education and support services, and operate a CNP secondary site.

Our Target Groups
1. People affected by viral hepatitis, which includes those ‘living with’ and ‘at risk’ of viral hepatitis, with a focus on the viral hepatitis priority population groups*

2. South Australian workforces, with a focus on health and community workforces

3. The South Australian community

*Hepatitis C priority population groups are people who inject drugs, young people, prisoners, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, people with mental illness and people with HIV or HBV co-infection.

Hepatitis B priority population groups are principally people born overseas in countries with high hepatitis B prevalence; Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, and unvaccinated adults at higher risk of infection including men who have sex with men, sex workers, people who inject drugs, partners and other household contacts, people in custodial settings, people co-infected with HIV or hepatitis C