Hepatitis C, Drug User Health, Safer Use, and Harm Reduction

Hepatitis C test, treat, and cure is almost a reality. However, barriers still exist related to prior authorizations, liver staging, specialty providers, Nurse Practitioner independent practice, and a lack of a Hepatitis C point of care RNA. I’ve written a document on the state of Hepatitis C test, treat, and cure discussing the current lab technologies and a call to action to help get an FDA approved Hep C RNA available in the USA. Download the document here.

This is a collective impact document to be shared and built by the community. If there are any errors or improvements, please contact me.

I had the privilege to set up a Hepatitis C treatment program in a syringe access center.

Hepatitis C became very easy to treat and I saw a need to provide treatment to not only to our prioritized communities but to everyone who needed help accessing the medications. This included not only marginally housed clients with a relationship with substances accessing the syringe access center but also clients who had access to healthcare and didn’t want to discuss their relationship with substances with their provider or their provider just didn’t know how to treat Hep C.

We developed a Treat First Model, where clients were started on Hep C treatment within 7-10 days.

There were many social determinants of health impacting the community that we were able to overcome.

In the end, we cured people who even I thought would not be able to do it. It was a humbling check on my own beliefs as a provider.

Doing Hep C treatment in a syringe access center is very doable and I’d be happy to share with you all that I learned.