OIDP awards $450,000 to Cherokee Nation to implement Hepatitis C Link to Care program

The HHS Office of Communicable Disease and HIV/AIDS Policy is pleased to announce a $450,000 award to the Cherokee Nation through the Care Program Linkage Assessment in Support of the Hepatitis C Elimination Collaborative Agreement. This three-year program aims to implement and evaluate hepatitis C community navigation and linkage to care interventions to increase hepatitis C treatment rates, reduce transmission, reduce hepatitis C disparities, and reduce hepatitis C-related Liver cancer and death.

The overall goal of the Cherokee Nation’s HCV Engagement and Linkage Program (HELP) program is to increase access to HCV health care for American Indians/Alaska Natives (AI/AN) on the Tahlequah Cherokee Nation reservation in Oklahoma. Opportunity. With funding from OIDP, this program will work with four community programs to screen AI/AN individuals receiving substance use disorder and housing insecurity services. Community program staff will provide rapid hepatitis C, HIV and syphilis testing and connect any patients who test positive for the conditions to care.

Linkage to Care connects HCV-positive individuals to appropriate HCV care. Patient navigation and peer support can promote timely linkage to hepatitis C care and improve hepatitis C outcomes in settings that serve populations with higher rates of hepatitis C, such as opioid treatment clinics, harm reduction programs, or Outpatient clinic for people who inject drugs.

To eliminate hepatitis C in the United States, the National Strategic Plan for Viral Hepatitis (PDF, 1.68MB) supports improved linkages of care between community-based organizations, correctional facilities, syringe services programs, and substance use disorder treatment programs and viral hepatitis treatment providers . There is an urgent need to evaluate the effectiveness of novel care strategies in populations with higher incidence of hepatitis C to identify barriers and facilitators and to further implement successful strategies.

OIDP is part of the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health and is responsible for providing strategic leadership and management to reduce the burden of infectious diseases and encourage collaboration, coordination, and innovation among federal agencies and other stakeholders. OIDP’s work covers multiple topics related to infectious diseases and healthcare-associated infections, including antibiotic resistance, blood and tissue safety and availability, HIV/AIDS, vaccines, viral hepatitis, and sexually transmitted infections. OIDP coordinates interagency implementation of the Viral Hepatitis National Strategic Plan and drives federal and nonfederal stakeholder efforts to address the syndrome of HIV, viral hepatitis, sexually transmitted infections, and substance use disorders.