Teachers – Substance Abuse Counselors – Nurses – Social Workers – STD/HIV Outreach Workers – Physicians Assistants – Medical Technicians – Patient Advocates 

CHANGING RISKY BEHAVIORS WITH UNIQUE MOTIVATING MESSAGES
--- Hepatitis and Substance Abuse Prevention Made Easy

“I never heard such an effective and motivating presentation before. As a nurse, I gained a new appreciation for my liver even though I am a nurse.”
---Diane Guy, drug abuse counselor at Man Alive Research Inc., Baltimore

“Your teaching style and terminology demonstrated how easy it is to take a complex and important subject and break it down into easily taught and understood learning components.” 
---Mary Jeanne Farley, LSCW-C, Director, Medical Social Work
Baltimore County Department of Health 

“Your approach is missing in our efforts to motivate our patients to change their behaviors. You put the fear of God in me in an entertaining and memorable way. ” 
---James Graham, Executive Director of the Johns Hopkins 
Medical Center Addiction Treatment Services, 

“These upbeat and positive communication techniques will help our teachers motivate their students to avoid liver damaging activities and to take responsibility for their own health behaviors. 
--- Russell Henke, Coordinator of Health Education for 
Montgomery County Schools, Maryland

“The messages contained in your video, Respect Yourself– Protect Yoursel,f provide accurate information in an entertaining and professional manner that has been very effective in reaching young audiences.”
--Harold Margolis, MD, Former Director, Division of Viral Hepatitis, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“This is the first time I actually thought about my liver. Not only did she explain hepatitis extensively, but she also explained the liver and how it works for the body. She had her audience’s attention throughout her entire presentation. As she talked I visualized my liver in action. She made me want to change some of my negative habits to help my liver. She also explained how important it is to know about the functions of your own liver and health before attempted to educate and outreach to the populations. ” 
--Sharon Boyd, BIS, Michigan Department of Community Health

Motivating individuals to take responsibility for their own health care and to avoid risky behaviors that expose them to AIDS, and hepatitis viruses that lead to serious liver damage is a difficult task. It depends a great deal on having knowledge and understanding of basic functions of the liver, what vital role it plays in their health and well being, and how it can be compromised by drugs, alcohol, environmental pollutants and hepatitis viruses. Unfortunately, information about the liver has been absent in most school curricula over the years and information about viral hepatitis receives little or no attention in most middle and high schools in our nation. Our young people are unprepared to meet the challenges of participating in risky behaviors. 

Receptivity to learning is vitally important when dealing with those who have or are participating in high risk behaviors that expose them to blood borne pathogens. Presenting information in an entertaining and memorable manner creates an environment for learning that is essential to retaining information presented and to act on knowledge learned. Extensive evaluations of the unique liver wellness approach indicates that once informed of a few important liver functions that they can relate to in their daily lives, individuals have been motivated to avoid liver damaging activities and to adopt healthier lifestyle behaviors.

Evaluations with pre and post test knowledge assessment questionnaires are essential to assess outcomes and impact of this new approach to prevention of hepatitis, substance abuse, and harm reduction.

The Hepatitis Foundation International conducts Train the Trainer Sessions for healthcare providers, counselors, teachers, social workers, nurses and others working in treatment facilities, methadone clinics, juvenile and adult corrections facilities. We also welcome opportunities to provide this educational training program for individuals in prisons, treatment centers or who are being seen on an outpatient basis. 

Presentations include: lecture, videos, role playing, print materials including quick and easily replicated messages and analogies, brochures, posters, and information on hepatitis A, B, C, D and E. Pre and post knowledge assessment questionnaires for all participants provide an assessment of the effectiveness of this approach.

Contact: Hepatitis Foundation International – 1-800-891-0707