C1 - Hepatitis C Testing and Treatment in Opioid Treatment Programs

Wednesday, November 2, 2022

1:30 PM – 3:00 PM

Location: Holiday 1-3, Level 2

CE: 1.5

Primary Presenter(s)

Ally Lor, BSN, RN, CARN

Director of Nursing, Northern Territory
Community Medical Services
Fond du Lac, Wisconsin

Download Slides

Co-Presenter(s)

Michelle M. Byron, LPN

Director of Nursing, Southern Territory
Community Medical Services
Scottdale, Arizona

Learning Objectives:

At the completion of this activity, participants will:

Describe barriers to HCV screening, assessment, and treatment as well as ways to access the screening, assessment, and treatment.
Discuss HCV and how it disproportionately affects certain populations, while being able to discuss how to minimize healthcare disparities for these populations
Explain the interplay within the OTP setting for individuals on medication-assisted-treatment and diagnosed or undiagnosed HCV and some outcomes for these individuals with HCV while on MAT.

Presentation Summary: There are barriers or a lack of access to diagnose and treat individuals with HCV. OTPs serve individuals with OUD, with the vast majority having engaged in intravenous drug use at some point and many of whom have diagnosed or undiagnosed HCV. Screening, diagnosing, and treating HCV in OTPs could have widespread public health benefits, such as increased life expectancy, improved quality of life, decreased future associated healthcare costs and an overall reduction in HCV transmission. This presentation plans to discuss the issue surrounding HCV in OTPs while presenting the HCV program offered in one agency’s OTP setting.