Hepatitis C - Enhancing Awareness and Education

Organization Information:

Organization Name:
Hep C Connection
City & State:
Denver, 
Colorado
Organization Website:
http://www.hepc-connection.org
Organization's Mission Statement

To educate the general public about hepatitis C and to provide resources and support for those affected by the virus.

Submission Information

Impact Essay

Hep C Connection is a non-profit organization that serves Colorado residents and those across the country who are infected or affected by the hepatitis C virus (HCV). Our mission is to educate the general public about hepatitis C and to provide resources and support for those affected by the virus. Hep C Connection strives to reach our agency’s mission through our direct outreach and educational programs to our target audiences. Our programs are designed to offer awareness, educate, and provide resources to those infected or impacted by HCV, as well as to medical professionals who provide care to persons with HCV. Thanks to TechSoup and the generosity of Microsoft Publisher, Power Point and Excel software, our agency is able, at minimal cost, to creatively design materials, communicate and quantitatively monitor our programs to reach our very specific populations using this technology. These mechanisms directly support Hep C Connection’s mission, while significantly reducing cost. One of our agencies projects is a community collaborative bi-annual event called “Drop To Stop”. Drop To Stop is a week-long event that informs those who use hypo-dermic syringes of the importance and where to appropriately dispose of used needles, preventing blood-borne infections. Hep C Connection utilizes Microsoft’s Publisher to create and distribute promotional materials used to educate and invite event participation. Using Publisher’s flyer capabilities, the Drop To Stop project has significantly increased from the original 237 syringes that were disposed of at the initial event, to over 11,000 syringes at our recent event this month. With much thanks to TechSoup, this is a direct result from our promotional materials. Our programs heavily rely on PowerPoint to educate audiences and groups of people in one setting. PowerPoint technology helps our staff to present technical medical information in a format that is visually appealing, offering interest and group participation. PowerPoint also allows us to share our informative materials through e-mail to those who request electronic copies and/ or to those who are absent, yet another great example of Microsoft technology. Thanks to Microsoft’s Excel software, Hep C Connection programs and services can easily and quickly account for qualitative and quantitative data, monitoring each of our specific program goals and objectives. With the generosity of TechSoup, Microsoft software has significantly supported implementation and sustainability of the programs and services of our agency reaching persons at-risk, those who are already or recently infected, loved ones, and to the care providers of those impacted by the hepatitis C virus.

Submission Category
Optimize Mission Delivery
Supporting Work Files