Integrating Hepatitis C Treatment into Opioid Treatment Programs: The Greenwich House Story

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a major public health problem responsible for substantial morbidity, including cirrhosis and liver cancer, and mortality. In 2021, over 6,500 new cases were reported in New York State, many of which occurred in younger people as a result of injection drug use. Although we have highly  effective treatments available for HCV, many people face numerous barriers to accessing them. With the ongoing opioid epidemic fueling new cases, innovative ways of reaching people who inject drugs to ensure they have access to treatment are more essential than ever. Furthermore, people who use drugs and substance use disorder treatment programs were identified in the New York State HCV Elimination Plan as priority populations and settings to focus HCV elimination efforts. Opioid Treatment Programs, or OTPs for short, are uniquely poised to engage people who inject drugs and integrate HCV treatment into their services and help expand access to those most in need. This episode, featuring Dr. Sara Lorenz Taki from New York City’s Greenwich House, will discuss evidence for and best practices to integrate hepatitis C treatment into an OTP setting. Related Content: New York State Hepatitis C Elimination Plan: https://www.health.ny.gov/diseases/communicable/hepatitis/hepatitis_c/docs/hepatitis_c_elimination_plan.pdf New York State Hepatitis C Dashboard: https://hcvdashboardny.org/ New York State Hepatitis C Guidelines and Recommendations: https://www.health.ny.gov/diseases/communicable/hepatitis/hepatitis_c/providers/index.htm American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases Hepatitis C Guidelines: https://www.hcvguidelines.org/ Taylor, LE. (2020), Colocalization in Hepatitis C Virus Infection Care: The Role of Opioid Agonist Therapy Clinics. Clinical Liver Disease, 16:12-15. https://doi.org/10.1002/cld.921 Empire Liver Foundation (2020), Building Capacity for Hepatitis C Treatment at Opioid Treatment Programs On-site and via Telemedicine, New York City: https://empireliverfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Building-Capacity-for-Hepatitis-C-Treatment-at-Opiod-Treatment-Programs-On-site-and-via-Telemedicine-in-New-York_slides.pdf Addiction Technology Transfer Center Guide to Integrating HCV Services into Opioid Treatment Programs: https://attcnetwork.org/sites/default/files/2020-07/Guide%20to%20Integrating%20HCV%20Services%20into%20Opioid%20Treatment%20-%20July%2024-1.pdf Greenwich House: https://www.greenwichhouse.org/ CEI toll free line for NYS providers: 866-637-2342 https://ceitraining.org/