Hepatitis C in the Correctional-Community Continuum of Care: Poor Baseline Linkage Rates and Early Improvement With Care Coordination (original) (raw)
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Linkage to Hepatitis C Care After Incarceration in Jail: A Prospective, Single Arm Clinical Trial
Background: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a major public health problem in correctional settings. HCV treatment is often not possible in U.S. jails due to short lengths of stay. Linkage to care is crucial in these settings, but competing priorities complicate community healthcare engagement and retention after incarceration. Methods: We conducted a single arm clinical trial of a combined transitional care coordination (TCC) and patient navigation intervention and assessed the linkage rate and factors associated with linkage to HCV care after incarceration. Results: During the intervention, 84 participants returned to the community after their index incarceration. Most participants were male and Hispanic, with a history of mental illness and a mean age of 45 years. Of those who returned to the community, 26 (31%) linked to HCV care within a median of 20.5 days; 17 (20%) initiated HCV treatment, 15 (18%) completed treatment, 9 (11%) had a follow-up lab drawn to confirm sustained virologi...
Linkage to Hepatitis C Care Following Release from Jail: A Prospective, Single Arm Clinical Trial
2019
Background: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a major public health problem in correctional settings. HCV treatment is often not possible in U.S. jails due to short lengths of stay. Linkage to care is crucial in these settings, but competing priorities complicate community healthcare engagement and retention after incarceration. Methods: We conducted a single arm clinical trial to assess the rate and factors associated with linkage to HCV care after incarceration associated with a combined transitional care coordination (TCC) and patient navigation intervention. Results: During the intervention, n=84 participants returned to the community after their index incarceration. Most participants were male and Hispanic, with a history of mental illness and a mean age of 45 years (SD=12). Of those who returned to the community, 26 (31%) linked to HCV care within a mean of 29 days (SD=25); 17 (20%) initiated HCV treatment, 15 (18%) completed treatment, and 7 (8%) had documentation of sustained virol...
HCV infected prisoners: should they be still considered a difficult to treat population?
BMC Infectious Diseases, 2013
Background: The prevalence of chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in the Italian correctional population is estimated to be around 38%. In this setting HCV infection treatment is controversial because of several factors such as active drug substance abuse, psychiatric illness, length of treatment, risk of re-infection, poor adherence and low success rate. , was conducted to evaluate rate of completion (feasibility) and outcome efficacy of chronic Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) infection treatment with Pegylated Interferon and Ribavirin in five correctional facilities in Rome.
Hepatitis C Virus Testing and Linkage to Care in North Carolina and South Carolina Jails, 2012-2014
Public health reports (Washington, D.C. : 1974)
We evaluated a hepatitis C virus (HCV) testing and linkage-to-care post-release program among detainees of small- to medium-sized jails in North Carolina and South Carolina as part of the Hepatitis Testing and Linkage to Care initiative. An HCV testing and linkage-to-care program was implemented in selected jails in North Carolina and South Carolina from December 2012 to March 2014. Health-care workers not affiliated with the jails conducted HCV antibody (anti-HCV) and HCV ribonucleic acid (RNA) testing and linkage-to-care activities. The North Carolina jail provided universal opt-out testing for HCV; South Carolina jails initially targeted high-risk individuals before expanding to routine testing. Of 669 detainees tested for HCV in North Carolina, 88 (13.2%) tested anti-HCV positive, of whom 81 (92.0%) received an HCV RNA test, 66 (81.5%) of whom tested HCV RNA positive (i.e., currently infected). Of the 66 detainees with current HCV infection, 18 were referred to HCV medical care ...
Background People with criminal justice involvement contribute remarkably to the rising hepatitis C virus (HCV) burden; however, the continuum of care is a major barrier to prison-based programs. We aimed to evaluate a comprehensive HCV care model in an Iranian provincial prison. Methods Between 2017–2018, in the Karaj Central Prison, newly admitted male inmates received HCV antibody testing and venipuncture for RNA testing (antibody-positive only). Participants with positive RNA underwent direct-acting antiviral (DAA) therapy (Sofosbuvir/Daclatasvir). Sustained virological response was evaluated at 12 weeks post-treatment (SVR12). Results Overall, from 3,485 participants, 182 (5.2%) and 117 (3.4%) tested positive for HCV antibody and RNA, respectively. Among 116 patients who were eligible for treatment, 24% (n = 28) were released before treatment and 72% (n = 83) initiated DAA therapy, of whom 81% (n = 67/83) completed treatment in prison and the rest were released. Of total releas...
Hepatitis C in correctional institutions
Current Hepatitis Reports, 2007
The prevalence of chronic infection with hepatitis C virus (HCV) is estimated to be 17 to 27 times higher among incarcerated individuals than in the general US population. To help stem the epidemic of HCV infection in the United States, correctional institutions and public health systems should be integrated. The incarcerated setting represents the first opportunity for many inmates to access health care. Correctional settings offer an important opportunity to diagnose, prevent, and treat HCV infection. In this article, we review HCV screening, testing, and treatment policies in US correctional institutions and discuss prison responses to the HCV epidemic and the feasibility of treatment within prisons and jails. Finally, we emphasize the importance of links to postrelease medical care for HCV-infected inmates and the necessity of comprehensive strategies to effectively manage HCV infection.
International Journal of Drug Policy, 2020
Background: Hepatitis C (HCV) infection is highly prevalent within the prison setting. Direct-acting antiviral (DAA) therapies have changed the HCV treatment landscape, offering simple treatment (with minimal sideeffects) and high efficacy. These advances have enabled the first real-world study of HCV treatment as prevention (TasP), the Surveillance and Treatment of Prisoners with hepatitis C (SToP-C) study. This paper draws on data from qualitative interviews completed with SToP-C participants following prison-wide DAA treatment scale-up. Methods: Semi-structured interviews were undertaken with 23 men in prison following HCV treatment completion to identify ongoing risk practices, perceptions of strategies for HCV prevention within the prison setting, experiences of HCV treatment (as prevention), and perceptions of reinfection following cure. Analysis was undertaken using a counterpublic health lens to identify risks and perceptions of reinfection among people treated for HCV within the prison setting. Results: Participants identified a number of challenges of meaningful HCV 'cure' in the absence of increased access to prevention strategies (e.g., opioid agonist therapy and prison needle syringe programs) along with concerns that 'cure' was only temporary whilst incarcerated. 'Cure' status included self-perceptions of being "clean", while also imposing responsibility on the individual to maintain their 'cure' status. Conclusion: HCV DAA treatment is provided somewhat under the guise of 'cure is easy', but fails to address the ongoing risk factors experienced by people who inject drugs in prisons, as well as other people in prison who may be at risk of blood-to-blood exposure. Health messaging regarding HCV treatment and treatment for reinfection should be tailored to ensure patient-centred care. Health interventions in prison must address the whole person and the circumstances in which they live, not just the illness.