On World Hepatitis Day, NYC Health + Hospitals expands its Hepatitis C Navigation Program to three new hospital locations to meet patient needs
The Hepatitis C Navigation Program will now be available at nine New York City Health + Hospitals facilities that reflect areas of greatest need
Navigators improve hepatitis C screening, connect patients to care, and support individuals until cure, with the ultimate goal of ending the city’s hepatitis C epidemic
Hepatitis C is a viral infection that causes liver inflammation and sometimes life-threatening liver damage; drug advances in the past 10 years have made hepatitis C a treatable disease
July 28, 2023
New York City, New York
NYC Health + Hospitals today announced the expansion of its Hepatitis C Navigation Program from six to nine hospitals, allowing the health system to test more patients, connect them with life-saving treatments, and support them until they are cured. The three new sites are NYC Health + Hospitals/Lincoln, Metropolitan and Woodhull, adding to the six existing sites: NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue, Elmhurst, Jacobi, Kings County, South Brooklyn Health and Gotham Health/Gouverneur . The program treats all people with hepatitis C, including three disproportionately affected populations: people diagnosed with substance use disorders, people who are incarcerated or recently released from prison, and people living with HIV. Today, advances in treatment technology can cure hepatitis C in as little as 8 to 12 weeks. Newly reported hepatitis C cases in New York City have been decreasing since 2012, with 4,163 cases reported in 2019; 2,791 cases reported in 2020; and 2,832 cases reported in 2021. To date, NYC Health + Hospitals has treated and cured more than 2,000 hepatitis C patients.
“Our main goal is to identify all people with hepatitis C and provide them with care and treatment. To do this we must overcome the stigma associated with this disease and support our patients to receive treatment and ultimately be cured,” he said Emma Kaplan-Lewis, MD, is director of HIV clinical quality in the Office of Population Health at New York City Health + Hospitals. “Our navigators are available to answer patients’ questions and guide them through their treatment, providing a variety of supports along the way.”
“As a Hepatitis C navigator, my job is to ensure patients complete their treatment course, clear the virus and achieve cure,” he said Joelle R. Bodeta, Hepatitis Patient Navigator, NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst. “Sometimes life can get in the way for our patients during treatment, and it’s my job to provide them with the support they need to complete their treatment.”
Hepatitis C screening is critical to getting patients into care. Navigation programs are a key component of this effort and are available at NYC Health + Hospitals. Within the health system, electronic medical record reminder capabilities have been established to support clinical teams in identifying individuals eligible for screening. Adults ages 18 to 79 should be tested for hepatitis C at least once, and those at higher risk should be screened more frequently. To be screened for hepatitis C, patients should call 844-NYC 4NYC and schedule an appointment.
At NYC Health + Hospital facilities, all first-line treatment options, called direct-acting antiviral (DAA) regimens, are available to treat patients diagnosed with hepatitis C. Treatment is in the form of swallowable pills and lasts from 8 to 12 weeks, by which time more than 95% of patients are cured of the disease. Treatment is tailored to the patient’s condition, and we work with the patient to determine the best treatment option for them. Generally, the cost of treatment is covered by insurance, including Medicare and Medicaid. NYC Health + Hospitals provides treatment to all patients regardless of their ability to pay.
The health system estimates that there are currently 1,500 patients at NYC Health + Hospitals with untreated hepatitis C infection. The Navigation Program is designed to support these individuals, as well as any newly diagnosed patients, by providing information about hepatitis, connections to support services and resources, help addressing personal barriers to treatment, and support in preventing reinfection. Navigators support patients from the time they are diagnosed. With the expansion of Navigation programs and an increasing emphasis on hepatitis C screening, ending the hepatitis C epidemic in New York City is finally an achievable goal.
Patients who are new to NYC Health + Hospitals and want to be screened or receive treatment should call 844-NYC-4NYC.
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Media contact information: Press Office, 212-788-3339
About NYC Health + Hospitals
NYC Health + Hospitals is the nation’s largest municipal health care system, serving more than 1 million New Yorkers annually at more than 70 patient care sites across the city’s five boroughs. A robust network of outpatient, community-based primary and specialty care centers coordinates care with the system’s trauma centers, nursing homes, post-acute care centers, home care agencies and MetroPlus health plans, all supported by 11 primary hospitals. Its diverse workforce of more than 43,000 employees is focused on helping New Yorkers, without exception, live their healthiest lives. For more information, visit www.nychealthandhospitals.org and stay connected on Facebook, TwitterInstagram and LinkedIn.