July 1, 2020
Dear Reader,
As End Hep C SF prepared to enter our fifth year of existence, we spent much of 2019 discussing priorities and planning for the next three years of our initiative by developing our second strategic plan. Unlike with our first strategic plan launched in 2017, this time our initiative had already gathered much momentum, giving us a chance to take brave strides toward a better future while honoring the important commitments guiding our work to date.
Just as we put the finishing touches on this plan and prepared to release it to the world, the COVID-19 pandemic changed our lives in a way none of us saw coming. Many of us have continued on as essential workers, providing outreach, education, harm reduction services, and critical medical care while our friends, family, and neighbors shelter in place. A few months into the pandemic, we know more about the coronavirus gripping our city, but the uncertainty about its lasting impacts on our systems and economy has only grown. We remain true to the mission, vision, and values of End Hep C SF – indeed, despite COVID-19 people continue to be at risk for hepatitis C infection and continue to be in need of life-saving hepatitis C treatment – but the shape and sustainability of the services we provide post-COVID emergency response are still evolving.
The activities and strategies we will prioritize in the coming years within each of the End Hep C SF workgroups will need to evolve during and after our response to COVID-19. The most up-to-date strategic priorities can always be found on our website, at links available in this strategic plan. We must work together to eliminate hepatitis C the same way we must work together to eliminate COVID-19: grounded in science, with a constant eye toward improving equity and leading together with people most directly affected in our community.
Wishing a safe 2020 to you all,
The End Hep C SF Coordinating Committee
