Doctors at an addiction-management clinic in Vancouver have been asking patients a new question when they come in to refill their methadone prescriptions: Do they want to get tested for hepatitis C?
They perform a quick finger-prick test for those who say yes during their regular visit to Vancouver’s Royal Oak Clinic – part of a pilot project that’s bringing hepatitis C testing and treatment to people who have a history of injecting drugs.
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Hepatitis C disproportionately affects historically marginalized groups of people, who already face barriers to getting good health care, said Kate Salters, a research scientist with the B.C. Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS who isn’t involved in the Vancouver pilot program.
“While it’s a biological condition,” she said, “it also has real social implications as well.”
She said it’s important to make it easier for people to get hepatitis C treatment, instead of making them jump through hoops.
There are many microelimination projects going on around the country, including in Halifax, Toronto and Sudbury. Some are funded by public-health agencies and others by drug companies.