Challenges and Opportunities for Treating Hepatitis C Amongst People Who Use Drugs: Experience of an Integrated Mobile Clinic in Baltimore City.
Rosecrans, Amanda; Harris, Robert; Clair, Anne St; Rice, Molly; Zoltick, Meredith; Willman, Catherine; King, Anne; Kerr, Meredith; Page, Kathleen R.
Why this matters
The gap between a positive hepatitis C test and a cure is where mobile programs lose people, and this study measures every step. Of 560 people tested in Baltimore, 201 were antibody positive, 81 had positive RNA, 42 started medication, and 20 had a documented cure, with housing instability and insurance barriers named as the causes of attrition.
Abstract
This study describes the HCV treatment cascade amongst people accessing a mobile clinic offering integrated low-threshold buprenorphine and infectious disease services in Baltimore City. From May 2021 to December 2022, 560 people had a rapid HCV antibody test, 201 (36%) had a positive result, 81 had documented positive RNA, 42 started medication, and 20 had documented cure. Challenges including housing instability, insurance barriers and lack of venous access limit progress.