The Department of Health and Human Services announced a pilot program to prevent and cure Hepatitis C among homeless populations.
The $100 million funding opportunity specifically targets those with substance use disorder and/or a serious mental illness. The program is further intended to “support communities severely affected by homelessness and to gain insights on effective ways to identify patients, complete treatment, cure infections, and reduce reinfection by Hepatitis C (a liver disease caused by the Hepatitis C virus),” a press release explains.
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said the agency is “delivering on our promise to the American people for a healthier, brighter future.” He explained that through the program, HHS is “launching a comprehensive, integrated care model that not only cures HCV but also tackles critical risk factors like substance use, mental health challenges, and homelessness head-on.”
Hepatitis C is described as a “chronic disease that often intersects with other major health complications, especially addiction, mental illness, and homelessness,” the agency explained. Left untreated, hepatitis C can “result in the development of additional chronic diseases including cirrhosis, liver failure, and liver cancer. Highly effective oral medications can now be provided to patients that result in high HCV cure rates following 8-12 weeks of treatment.”
The program comes as President Donald Trump signed an order to end “crime and disorder” on the nation’s streets. The order, targeting homelessness, directs members of the Trump administration to assess grant programs for states to be used in situations involving drug use, urban camping and loitering, and urban squatting.
