Community Health Clinics Evolving HCV Programs
by Pippa Wysong
Increasing importance in treating high-risk populations
Increasing importance in treating high-risk populations
Community health clinics (CHCs) are taking on greater roles in terms of screening and treating hepatitis C virus (HCV) patients, but new models of care are just starting to evolve to improve access and care for the high-risk, complex populations they tend to serve...
Expert Critique
Michelle Long
With the wide availability of highly effective treatments for hepatitis C (HCV) the challenges in treating HCV now lies in improving access for high-risk populations. Federally funded community health clinics are now a prime access point for screening and treating HCV, particularly for the uninsured or under-insured. HCV is highly prevalent in the patient population served by community health clinics, which make them a good place to identify high-risk patients. However, the infrastructure for coordinating screening and delivering treatments needs development in many community health clinics. Additional training programs for primary care physicians and telemedicine programs would be helpful as well, since access to sub-specialty care is often limited. Few centers have adapted existing programs with success, but this has not yet been adapted on a large scale, and funding for such efforts is limited.
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