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Healthcare Contact And Treatment Uptake Following Hepatitis C Virus Screening And Counseling Among Rural Appalachian People Who Use Drugs, Dustin B. Stephens, April M. Young, Jennifer R. Havens

Behavioral Science Faculty Publications

Background—Hepatitis C virus (HCV) remains a major contributor to morbidity and mortality worldwide. Since 2009, Kentucky has led the United States in cases of acute HCV, driven largely by injection drug use in rural areas. Improved treatment regimens hold promise of mitigating the impact and transmission of HCV, but numerous barriers obstruct people who inject drugs (PWID) from receiving care, particularly in medically underserved settings.

Methods—503 rural people who use drugs were recruited using respondent-driven sampling and received HCV screening and post-test counseling. Presence of HCV antibodies was assessed using enzyme immunoassay of dried blood samples. Sociodemographic and …

Hepatitis C Screening And Treatment Of Prisoners: Analysis Of Policy And Practice In Kentucky, Charity Faith Kranz

Theses and Dissertations--Public Health (M.P.H. & Dr.P.H.)

INTRODUCTION

The United States and the Commonwealth of Kentucky are currently overwhelmed by a triad of complex epidemics—incarceration, opioid overdose deaths secondary to substance use disorders, and hepatitis C. Research has suggested hepatitis C screening and treatment of prisoners may be a cost-effective strategy to address the hepatitis C epidemic. Since Kentucky has been particularly impacted by these interrelated health threats, further exploration of hepatitis C in Kentucky prison populations and their potential role in addressing these epidemics is warranted.

Primary Objective

The main goal of this research was to examine hepatitis C screening and treatment policy and practice within …

Compliance And Treatment Failure Of Hepatitis C With Direct-Acting Antivirals: A 2-Year Retrospective, Observational Study In Kentucky Medicaid Patients, Juequan Nie

Theses and Dissertations--Public Health (M.P.H. & Dr.P.H.)

Background: New generation Direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C infection have been on the market for more than 3 years since late 2013. Whether these medications cure patients at the rates claimed in clinical trials is not clear. Furthermore, as compliance is known to affect treatment outcomes, DAAs compliance rate is worth studying.

Methods: We analyzed the association of social-demographic, DAA use, enrollment with Kentucky Medicaid Managed Care Organizations (MCOs) and comorbidities, and DAA compliance in 1128 Kentucky Medicaid members treated with DAAs between August 07, 2014 and August 06, 2016.

Results: Age, MCOs, liver fibrosis …

Addressing Barriers To Hepatitis C Treatment Initiation In Kentucky Clinic, Moaz Abdelwadoud

Theses and Dissertations--Public Health (M.P.H. & Dr.P.H.)

Introduction. Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is the most prevalent blood borne infection in the United States and its chronic infection has a high burden on the American healthcare system. Since 2014, the all-oral Directly Acting Antiviral (DAA)-based therapy has been established as the standardized curative treatment for HCV with unprecedented high effectiveness and tolerability. Nevertheless, there is a significant gap between the promise from DAAs benefits and the treatment initiation rates in the United States and Kentucky.

Objectives. The goal of this study is to improve the access to the all-oral DAA-based treatment among HCV patients seeking outpatient …