Drug Users and Hepatitis C
According to the CDC, new cases of HCV have increased 294% nationally from 2010 to 2015. Young people who use injection drugs have the highest rate of new cases. People who use drugs (PWUD) face barriers to care such as stigma, discriminatory insurance restrictions, lack of HCV education and insurance coverage issues. As of 2015, only three states had state laws and Medicaid policies capable of comprehensively preventing and treating HCV among PWUD. NVHR’s program supports increasing access to harm reduction services, drug treatment options and hepatitis C education and access to treatment for all PWUD.
NVHR’s work:
Featured articles/presentations
- Novel Strategies to Enhance Testing and Linkage to HCV Care and Treatment
- Improving Access to HCV Care for People Who Use Drugs
- Hepatitis C Satellite Symposium at the 25th Harm Reduction International Conference, Montreal
Resources
- Tennessee Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) & Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) Outbreak Response Plan
- Managing HIV and Hepatitis C Outbreaks Among People Who Inject Drugs – A Guide For State and Local Health Departments
- As Injection Drug Use Rises, So Does Hep C Transmission - HepMag news article
- HCV Education Presentation for Drug Users – Please contact Bekeela Davila for the presentation
- State HCV Incidence and Policies Related to HCV Preventive and Treatment Services for Persons Who Inject Drugs — United States, 2015–2016
- A Provider's Perspective: Management and Treatment of HCV in PWID
- Nobody Left Behind: The Importance of Integrating PWID into HCV Treatment Programs
- PCORI Study: Patient-Centered Models of HCV Care for People Who Inject Drugs (NVHR is a national stakeholder for this study)
- Viral Hepatitis and Young Persons Who Inject Drugs