M E D I A - A D V I S O R YL.O.L.A. and RECENT TWO-TIME LIVER TRANSLPLANT RECIPIENT TO HOST 2nd ANNUAL NYC HEPATITIS C “MARCH FOR AWARENESS”City Council Majority Leader Joel Rivera and L.O.L.A. CEO, Debbie Delgado Vega to Lead Supporters and Hepatitis C Advocacy Community to City Hall Park WHO: Debbie Delgado Vega, Founder & CEO, Latino Organization for Liver Awareness (L.O.L.A.) and the Hon. Joel Rivera, Majority Leader of the New York City Council WHAT: In recognition of New York City Hepatitis C Awareness Month, hundreds of concerned New Yorkers will march to City Hall in an effort to raise awareness about the importance of getting tested for hepatitis C virus (HCV). LOLA CEO and founder Debbie Delgado-Vega, herself a recent two-time liver transplant recipient, will lead the 2nd annual LOLA March from Battery Park to City Hall Park. She will be joined by local elected officials, doctors, leading HCV and public health advocates, substance abuse treatment providers, and private citizens who either live with the disease or whose lives are affected by HCV. In addition to the March, LOLA will be offering free hepatitis C screenings for any and all interested individuals. In the last year, HCV has increased in prevalence with over 5 million individuals infected nationwide, with an estimated 340,000 New York City residents affected, 40 percent of whom are Latino. This silent killer, for which there is no known cure, has become the leading cause of liver transplants in the United States. WHEN: May 18, 2006, Pre-event festivities 9:00 a.m.; March: 12 Noon (Sharp) WHERE: Battery Park, opposite 17 State Street in Manhattan CONTACT: Gladys Moreira at 718-892-8697 or Jose Nicot at 646-210-4341 |