Understanding that the complexity and segmentation of the healthcare system can pose unique challenges to providing medical care in non-traditional settings in the United States, a formative evaluation was conducted to assess the feasibility, acceptability, and effectiveness, and whether enrolled clients completed the care cascade measured by four performance indicators: linkage to care, treatment initiation, treatment completion, and achievement of SVR-12.

This session will review the project design and provide an overview of preliminary project outcomes, specifically focusing on the unique role State Health Agencies are equipped to fulfill when seeking to generate registries, verify eligibility, and engage individuals. Finally, the session will discuss how these activities have informed the development of a syndemic framework aimed at ending HCV with strategies focused on disrupting transmission in real time while also addressing HIV and STIs.

People who use drugs (PWUDs) face structural barriers to access prevention and care for hepatitis C (HCV) infection. While many inpatient substance use treatment programs (ISUTPs) often screen for HCV, few provide treatment, leading to missed opportunities for care. This presentation will introduce a client-centered telehealth model, initiating HCV treatment during detoxification and rehabilitation to enhance early engagement and ensure continuity of care.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) remains a serious public health concern in the U.S., especially among high-risk groups. While social support is thought to influence health outcomes, its role in HCV diagnosis is less clear. Using pre-pandemic NHANES data (2017–March 2020), this study explored whether limitations in social support measured by self-reported access to routine care and inability to obtain needed medical care were associated with HCV screening outcomes among high-risk adults.

In the US and globally, there have been two secular events exogenous to the HCV epidemic that has impacted HCV negatively. The first is well documented with the accompanying rise in the Opioid epidemic resulting in the uptick in HCV infections particularly among the population younger than the baby boomer generation. The second is the advent of COVID-19 that caused disruptions in testing, linkage and treatment of people living with Hepatitis C. We showcase the impact COVID 19 had on our testing program in Alabama.

This study aims to assess the follow-up eligibility of individuals with HCV presumed LTFU. Pre-contact investigation (PCI) to assess ineligibility, including due to death or outdated contact information, was encouraged.  Data came from the patient registries of 23 of 30 grant-funded organizations in different clinical, community and geographical settings. Data sources included patient, state, prison, and public records. 

The Target4 project partners with the University of Kentucky’s Bluegrass Care Clinic to integrate Hepatitis C telehealth services into syringe services programs throughout the commonwealth to address access barriers, improve treatment outcomes, and progress Hepatitis C elimination efforts in the Commonwealth. This presentation will discuss the process used to integrate telehealth services into the harm reduction environment in partnership with the local health departments, and share outcomes, successes, and lessons learned along the way.

A translational research project implemented at a Sacramento County sexual health center to reduce barriers to Hepatitis C virus (HCV) treatment. To address elevated prevalence of Hepatitis C in the area, Sacramento County Public Health’s Sexual Health Clinic (SHC) opted to participate in a research project to develop and implement organizational supports and workflows to improve rates of HCV treatment for patients served in this setting.

Expanded screening for hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection aims to improve awareness of diagnosis, yet treatment uptake remains suboptimal due to structural, social, and individual-level barriers. People who use drugs face further challenges in accessing HCV treatment due to fragmented care, stigma, and limited support. Strategies to overcome these challenges are needed to improve health equity and achieve HCV elimination. We developed a quality improvement pilot project to integrate expedited DAA initiation, defined as prescribing of DAA during hospital admission.

The Department of Health and Human Services developed a National Strategic Plan to eliminate hepatitis C (HCV) as a public health threat by 2030. However, many barriers to accessing care remain. Pharmacists have increasingly played a role in the treatment of HCV and can support patients and care teams with navigating barriers at multiple steps along the care cascade. The Collaborative Drug Therapy Management (CDTM) model offers a strategy to leverage expertise of embedded pharmacists to improve HCV treatment access and outcomes.

Michigan's hepatitis C (HCV) cases have been on the decline since 2022, due to several coordinated efforts including, eliminating Medicaid restrictions, partnering with a pharmaceutical company to offer low-cost direct acting-antivirals (DAA), to hiring an academic detailer to educate medical students and providers, to creating a hepatitis C disease intervention specialist (DIS) program to link individuals to care.