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Introducing Lucy Rio

Whakapapa – Taranaki – Ngā Rauru, Aitutaki – Cook Islands.Born and raised in the heart of Tūhoe. Tāneatua, WaimanaLucy took on the newly created Māori Engagement Co-ordinator this year. The role was identified by the foundation as imperative to be able to engage and collaborate with Health Providers and Iwi Authorities to deliver the service provided by The Hepatitis Foundation of New Zealand.With a work plan established, Lucy was able to start with a blank canvas as to how to approach...

Appreciating our community Nurses

Today we’re joining the International Council of Nurses in celebrating nurses everywhere. Especially our wonderful community hepatitis nurses, Lynnaire, Helen, Siaw Ling, Becky, Jillian, Nicola and Diane, who work tirelessly to support New Zealanders with liver conditions, and they do a fabulous job ensuring people get the help and advice they need.Thanks we really appreciate everything you do.#IND2022 #VOICETO LEAD...

Working from home

To keep our staff safe as the Omicron numbers continue to increase, all our staff will be working from home from Friday 25th February until further notice.Our call centre will still be available should you need any help.Please call: 0800 33 20 10...

Office will remain open at red level

With all NZ now at the red level to combat Omicron, our admin staff will work from the office on a rotation system in teams. Our nurses are working online only, so will not be doing patient or GP visits. This will continue until levels are revised.We won't be holding fibroscans or holding patient clinics until further notice, but people can still visit our office provided they wear masks, scan in and follow social distancing requirements. We can provide masks for anyone who may not have one.&nbs...

Queen’s Honour recognition for long-time hepatitis community nurse

Community nurse Helen Purcell has been made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for her dedication to supporting New Zealanders with hepatitis B. A long-serving staff member at the Hepatitis Foundation of NZ (HFNZ), Helen says she was touched to hear of the award. “I’m overwhelmed to receive such a high honour. I’m passionate about making a difference to people’s lives and helping people with hepatitis B manage their...

Queen’s Honours recognise doctor’s dedication to hepatitis B patients

Paediatrician and hepatitis B expert Dr Chris Moyes has been appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for his services to healthcare over the past 42 years, which he describes as an incredible journey.This journey started when Chris came to NZ from England in 1979 and began work as the first permanent specialist paediatrician at Whakatane Hospital. He soon became interested in the Eastern Bay of Plenty’s high hepatitis B rates, forming a partnership with colleague Sandy Milne tha...

2021/22 holiday hours

Our office will be closed from 12pm on Friday, December 24. We will reopen at 8am on Monday, January 10, 2022. We wish everyone a Merry Christmas and wonderful holiday break with whānau and friends....

NZ presence on hepatology board

Congratulations to Kelly Hayes, our operations manager, who has been appointed to the Australasian Hepatology Association board for 2022.Kelly is the sole New Zealand representative on the board. She and her fellow board members are committed to building on the association's achievements and implementing the 2021-2024 Strategic Plan to ensure Australasian hepatology nurses and allied health professionals have a strong voice....

Christmas prizes up for grabs!

If you live in the Rotorua/Bay of Plenty areas, are registered with us and overdue for your hepatitis B blood test, simply get yourself up to date by December 17 and you're in the draw. It really is that easy. Winners will be contacted on December 20. Contact us on 0800 33 20 10 or email hepteam@hfnz if you need more info.* Colours may differ from that shown in images...

Registration open for viral hepatitis conference

The Australasian Viral Hepatitis Conference (May 29 - 31, 2022) is a platform for the dissemination and presentation of new research findings and better management across the Australasian viral hepatitis sector.The forum aims to support the health workforce, government and community to work toward eliminating hepatitis B and hepatitis C and supporting people living with these conditions in Australia, New Zealand and the Asia and Pacific regions....

Beating 'lockdown liver'

Lockdowns have a reputation for causing people to gain weight. Boredom, stress and frustration lead us to turn to comfort food and alcohol. But as lockdown restrictions begin to ease around New Zealand, many people are turning their attention to getting in shape for the coming summer. If you’re one of them and you want to get rid of ‘lockdown liver’, here are some tips that may help.Take a breakConsider having an alcohol-free period (a week, a month, it’s up to you) to let your liver rec...

Reputation for trust recognised in awards

We've received some fantastic patient reviews over the past several months. We've been announced as NZ's most trusted business in the not-for-profit industry based on these reviews, so thank you from all of us to everyone who has taken the time to provide feedback.We love knowing our work is having such a positive impact on our patients....

Pressure on labs can mean delays

Many laboratories are extremely busy due to COVID-19 as case numbers continue to grow in Auckland, Hamilton and other parts of the country. Consequently there may be delays for people with hepatitis B to get their blood test results.Please be patient and understanding with lab staff - they're all doing their best! Blood tests are vital for people with hepatitis B and your local laboratory will get your results to you as soon as possible....

Safety first for nurses, patients

Our nurses are looking forward to being able to visit patients again once levels allow. They've even got new PPE especially, so they can keep themselves and patients safer than ever.Under the Health and Safety Act 2015, businesses must protect staff while at work. For us that means ensuring nurse safety, as they have a higher risk of exposure to viruses while visiting patients and holding community fibroscan clinics than our office-based staff. They'll now be wearing these mo...

Focus on improving GP education around hepatitis B

The need for improved GP education and awareness around hepatitis B has been highlighted by a recently completed audit into hepatitis B testing and management within the Southern District Health Board (SDHB) coverage area.The audit identified gaps in GP testing and monitoring in some South Island regions. However, these gaps apply in all regions across the country, not just around the South Island. Many patients aren’t getting recommended hepatitis B serology tests, and people with an increase...

Hepatitis display earns GP clinic morning tea

A big congratulations to the team at Dannemora Clinic in South Auckland, for putting together a winning hepatitis display and earning a morning tea on us. Thanks to all the GP clinics that took the time to participate in this competition.The competition will be back in 2022, so keep an eye on our Facebook page for your clinic's chance to win.To celebrate this year's World Hepatitis Day, we've also launched a series of education modules aimed at primary healthcare pr...

New way to reach Chinese communities at risk of hepatitis B

A new WeChat channel will help us better reach one of its target communities.New Zealand’s Chinese communities are among the highest risk groups for liver diseases such as hepatitis B. With that in mind, and with 98.7 percent of Chinese people in NZ using WeChat, our CEO Susan Hay says it makes perfect sense for the organisation to be embracing it.“New Zealand is one of the many countries supporting the World Health Organisation’s goal to eliminate global hepatitis by 2030. To work to...

Free World Hepatitis Day community lunch

The Hepatitis Foundation has been supporting Eastern Bay locals with liver conditions for nearly 40 years. This World Hepatitis Day is a good time to celebrate that. Join our team for a free warming cup of soup in Kawerau, where our work started in the 1980s. Everyone is welcome to come along and find out more about liver health over a hot lunch.July 28, 12.30-2pm, Kawerau Concert Chambers....

New clinician joins hepatitis team

Wayne Bai (MBChB, FRACP) is a consultant gastroenterologist at Waikato Hospital. He spent his early childhood years in Hong Kong but came to New Zealand in 1993. He completed his Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery at Otago University, graduating in 2009.After establishing his career in Auckland, Wayne completed a year-long hepatology fellowship at a liver transplant centre in Edmonton, Canada, before settling in Hamilton and starting at Waikato Hospital as a gastroenterologis...

Pets can help you love your liver

As animal-lovers will already know, owning a pet can have a positive impact on people’s mental health and well-being. Evidence shows this is due to several reasons.They can help reduce depression and anxiety by giving people something other than themselves to care about. Patting or stroking them can help relieve stressOwning a pet, particularly a dog that needs daily walks, will get you out and about. A pet will challenge you to be more active and take better care of yourselfExercise ...

Arts therapy helps Waikato man help others

Stephen Cook had a troubled upbringing, surrounded by drugs, alcohol and violence. Now the 58-year-old ex-sheep farmer of Tahuna is living with the complications of liver damage and is studying creative arts therapy – a form of psychotherapy that utilises creative outlets to improve physical, mental, emotional and spiritual wellbeing.Creative expressions have been shown to have significant impact on the healing process for people with trauma, addictions and psychological or emotional issu...

Online hepatitis learning resource series launched

A series of online learning resources launched by the Hepatitis Foundation of New Zealand will help general practitioners stay informed about liver health and keep up with best practice developments.   The first module in the series of learning resources was published here on June 18. It gives healthcare professionals an introduction to hepatitis B, outlining biological characteristics of the virus, at-risk groups, treatment objectives and much more. The hepatitis B...

Free morning tea up for grabs for GPs

July 28 is World Hepatitis Day. To celebrate we’ll bring morning tea to the GP clinic with the most colourful hepatitis B display. To enter, simply create a display and email us photos of it by July 23, 2021....

Support for Australian hepatitis elimination plan

The Hepatitis Foundation of New Zealand is a signatory to an Australian action plan for eliminating hepatitis B and hepatitis C by 2030. Conceived by a collaboration of leading Australian research, advocacy and community bodies including Hepatitis Australia, the Doherty Institute, Kirby Institute, Australasian Hepatology Association and Burnet, the action plan spells out six actions the Australian government can take by the end of 2022.These actions include:Allocating additional i...

Positive feedback raises hepatitis awareness

The Hepatitis Foundation of New Zealand has been invited to join the 2021 Most Trusted business directory, thanks to the positive feedback from many of our patients.This membership helps raise our profile and encourage people who need our support to register with us. If you’ve had a positive experience with us, please let us know about it here....