Ground-breaking research on improving access to hepatitis C testing and treatment
The Cool Aid Community Health Centre and its health outreach programs have been recognized by experts around the world for its ground-breaking research on improving access to hepatitis C testing and treatment.
Delegates heard how Cool Aid’s health outreach team began contacting people living with hepatitis C in 2018, going into their homes, to shelters, pharmacies and supportive housing sites, including those set up during COVID-19. The program uncovered about 150 people, including those who have limited contact with the healthcare system, who were unaware they had the disease.
Hepatitis C is a viral infection only transmitted by blood. In the majority of cases people get infected through sharing drug-use equipment or getting tattoos or piercings in a non-sterile studio. But people can also contract the disease through sharing personal hygiene items like razors, toothbrushes or nail clippers.
“So many people say to me: ‘I don’t do drugs, so I don’t need to be tested’,” said Kathy Joyce — known as Mamma Bear by the street community — a peer support worker with Cool Aid. “A good nine out of 10 usually test positive.” It takes about one and a half days for collected blood to be analyzed. Once confirmed, it takes between two to seven days for the antiviral medication to be prescribed.
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