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ID: HR19-1134

Presenting author: Meghan Morris

Presenting author biography:

Meghan Morris is an epidemiologist engaged in research at the intersection of social justice and health. She strives to produce rigorous and timely evidence to support policy and educational pursuits.

Successes and Lessons Learned from a Collective Impact Initiative to Eliminate HCV in San Francisco CA USA.

Meghan Morris, Annie Luetkemeyer, Melissa Sanchez, Pauli Gray, Emily Raganold, Perry Rhodes III, Robin Roth, Shelley Facente, Kelly Eagen, Andrew Reynolds, Brian Clear, Isacc Jackson, Katie Burk

Issue: San Francisco CA USA, like many urban cities, has the tools to eliminate HCV as a public health threat but lacks political and financial support for a city government-led elimination program. In 2016, San Francisco became the first US city to establish an HCV elimination initiative, with an explicit focus on interventions for people who use drugs.

Setting: San Francisco’s compact geography, established prevention infrastructure, committed medical providers, and diverse hepatitis data infrastructure make elimination possible. In defining initiative values, End Hep C SF emphasized the engagement of people most impacted by HCV.

Project: End Hep C SF is a collective impact initiative of over 100 individuals from 36 different organizations across academia, social and medical groups, and advocacy organizations. Its mission is to support all San Franciscans living with and at risk for HCV to maximize their health and wellness. End Hep C SF will achieve this through prevention, education, testing, treatment, and linkage with a focus on services for marginalized populations to reduce incidence, morbidity, and mortality related to HCV.

Outcomes: The initiative has increased the number of people receiving HCV testing and diagnosis, expanded community-based treatment programs, and estimated benchmark data on the number of San Franciscans’ infected overall, and by risk-groups. In the first two years, End Hep C SF has increased the number of people receiving community-based HCV tests by 52%. The number of people who received HCV treatment went from 899 to 1152 (28% increase) with a significant increase in community-based treatment opportunities at needle exchange and drug treatment programs. Triangulating surveillance, research, and programmatic data facilitated annual evaluation of progress toward elimination goals. End Hep C SF continues to grow and progress due to the commitment of the expert volunteer base, the independence a collective impact model provides, and community leadership.