Key Objectives:
- Participants will evaluate the national heptatitis C virus (HCV) “second-peak” population
- Participants will discuss translation between epidemiological HCV surveillance and program implementation in high-risk populations
- Participants will identify strategies to implement an effective HCV program with limited resources
Brief Summary:
The “first peak” population, also known as the Baby Boomer generation, is the focus of current hepatitis C virus (HCV) detection and treatment. However, surveillance has recently detected a “second peak” of younger, newly infected individuals. Unfortunately, programs to address this second peak population lack direction due to fragmented surveillance and evolving strategies. The Florida Department of Health in Charlotte County (DOH-Charlotte) successfully developed an innovative program model to target this high-risk population by administering rapid HCV tests to individuals at the local correctional and inpatient substance abuse rehabilitation facilities. Using this population as a sentinel group, DOH-Charlotte sought to identify, inform, and educate individuals with the highest known risk factors to interrupt the spread of HCV transmission in the community. Limitations in funding, data collection, linkage to care, and community buy-in prompted DOH-Charlotte to develop and implement novel strategies that can serve as a model at the local level and across the nation. This roundtable will provide an opportunity to discuss the operationalization of surveillance-enhancing programs and their relationship within the broader scope of the nation’s HCV epidemic.