Ryan White 2012 Grantee Meeting

This workshop is a 90 minute session that will discuss some of the reasons to integrate Hepatitis C virus (HCV) testing and treatment with the established Ryan White model of HIV care and how it can be accomplished. HCV has surpassed HIV as a cause of death in the U.S. Of the 1.1 million Americans infected with HIV/AIDS studies estimate somewhere from 25-35 percent are co-infected with HCV. HRSA HAB recognizes that the Ryan White Program has become a model of care for treating HIV with intensive medical case manager and a multidisciplinary setting and that Ryan White clinics are the logical setting for setting up HCV care and treatment. Utilizing the Ryan White model for mono-infected clients will also be discussed.

Learning Objectives:

• Participants will learn the importance of incorporating HCV into the model of care.
• Participants will learn how Siouxland Community Health Center in Sioux City, Iowa incorporated HCV into the HIV model of care for both mono-infected and dually diagnosed patients.
• Participants will walk away with detailed steps to implement this type of program from staff and provider buy-in to accessing medications, determining readiness for individuals, and treatment with HCV protease inhibitors. Methods can be used for larger demographic areas as well as rural areas. Differences implementing this in a rural area will be highlighted.
• Participants will understand some of the programmatic issues that were encountered such as starting the program and managing symptoms, and how they can be resolved. Presenters will highlight the results of the second year of integration of treatment for mono-infected and the first year with HIV/HCV dually diagnosed patients.