Getting Outside the Clinic- Expanding Hepatitis Testing Through Non-Traditional Partners and Settings

Diagnosis is one of the biggest gaps that exists in responding to viral hepatitis in the United States. Only 33% of people living with hepatitis B and 54% of people living with hepatitis C are aware of their status. Testing is critical since hepatitis B and C are often asymptomatic and don’t present until decades after infection when serious damage to health has already occurred. In order to reach people most impacted by viral hepatitis, we need to get outside the clinic and expand access to diagnosis and linkage to care in community settings. NASTAD’s Hepatitis Testing Partnership hosted a webinar on Getting Outside the Clinic: Expanding Hepatitis Testing Through Non-Traditional Partners and Settings. This webinar explored models for hepatitis testing programs that get outside the clinic and leverage non-traditional healthcare partners to reach people living with hepatitis. Speakers provided examples from a testing event held annually at a state fair, a mobile unit that visits restaurants and nail salons, and a partnership with faith communities to bring testing and harm reduction to church.