The Indiana Department of Health is helping Hoosiers prevent and cure hepatitis C.
The Damien Center and the Health Foundation of Greater Indianapolis are using nearly $6.6 million in funding from the Indiana Department of Health’s Health Issues and Challenges grant program to launch the Connect to Cure initiative.
The initiative will involve hiring hepatitis C care coordinators, testers, and peer support specialists who will staff 19 regional sites across the state.
Individuals can visit one of the locations or utilize telehealth services to get prevention and care services, including case management, testing, assistance with insurance enrollment, and linkage to care.
Nationally 2.4 million people are estimated to be living with a hepatitis C virus infection and more than half are unaware they carry the virus. In Indiana, it is estimated 69,000 people aged 18 and older are living with the virus.
The CDC recommends that all adults be tested for HCV at least once in a lifetime and that all women be tested for HCV during each pregnancy.
For more information about the Health Issues and Challenges program, contact IDOH at media@health.in.gov.
