Hepatitis C Proposal Submitted to the CDC Division of Viral Hepatitis
In July 2008, the Piedmont HIV Health Care Consortium, in collaboration with NC AIDS Education and Training Center submitted a proposal to the US DHHS/CDC/Division of Viral Hepatitis Cooperative Agreement for Networking, Education, and Training (FOA# CDC-RFA-PS08-862) to establish the NC Hepatitis C Integration Initiative (NCHII).
The Piedmont HIV Health Care Consortium (Consortium), a non-profit agency in Durham, NC, was founded in 1991 to administer Ryan White CARE Act and HOPWA funds in a 9-county region in central North Carolina. As all consortia at the time, the Piedmont Consortium was established to plan, develop and assure the delivery of services to PLWHAs and to do so from a local grass-roots perspective. The mission of the Consortium has adapted to reflect the shifting HIV epidemic exemplified by prolonged and improved lives for many of those infected, a changing epidemiology of infection in the US specifically to Blacks and Southerners, and other emerging issues, specifically, infection with the hepatitis C virus (HCV), as well as to serve a larger geographic area. According to the CDC, 25%-30% of those infected with HIV in the US are also co-infected with HCV. And this represents only approximately 10% of the 3.2 million Americans living with chronic HCV infection. This proposal builds on an existing partnership between the Piedmont HIV Health Care Consortium and the NC- AIDS Education Center at Duke University's Center for Health Policy.
Professional education to support the integration of hepatitis C into clinical health care practice is essential to reduce or eliminate the effect of HCV infection in the US. In partnership with the NC AIDS Education Training Center (NC-AETC), the Consortium proposes to establish a comprehensive statewide education and training program for health care professionals for the integration of hepatitis C into clinical health care practice settings. Nine trainings will be held a year targeting three different populations: medical care providers, community service providers, and DIS or outreach workers. Each year, one community will be chosen to develop a site-specific plan to integrate HCV into the current HIV and substance abuse services. These networks will include, at a minimum, a medical care provider, social service agency, and substance abuse/mental health clinic. This approach will provide access to hepatitis C education across the state, but allow those areas with a greater interest the opportunity to integrate the education into existing programs, strengthening the HCV care and delivery system across the state. Integrated of HCV into existing practices is expected to increase screening for HCV, educate those infected about alcohol use, increase vaccinations for hepatitis A and B, and increase opportunities for treatment of HCV infection.
Evaluation will be conducted in accordance with the CDC's Framework for Program Evaluation in Public Health and will include process indicators (e.g., trainee demographics, course quality, relevance to practice), short term outcome indicators (e.g., changes in provider skills and knowledge), and medium term outcome indicators (e.g., changes in practice behaviors).
