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Learning Objectives for this Presentation:
By the end of the presentation, participants will be able to describe the evaluation of Florida's Hepatitis and Liver Failure Prevention and Control Program and will be able to assess the program strengths and weaknesses.
Background:
Florida's Hepatitis Program has provided hepatitis awareness, education, intervention programs, surveillance, and research since July 1999.
Methods:
In November, 2004, the University of Central Arkansas completed a CDC-funded evaluation of the Florida Hepatitis Program including process, impact, and outcome measures. Within the theoretical framework for public health programs, this evaluation provides analyses of educational materials distribution, the adult hepatitis vaccination and testing programs, focus groups, and key informant interviews.
Results:
The Florida Program is meeting its programmatic objectives. The various testing venues have detected prevalence rates for HCV of 11-48% and the Program has overcome barriers of provider unfamiliarity and lack of infrastructure in the vaccination and testing programs. Educational materials are being appropriately distributed to appropriate audiences. Clients are satisfied with their services, stated that they accessed services due to their medical providers' recommendation, and were glad that they knew their hepatitis status. County health department (CHD) staff perception of the program, and the subsequent level of hepatitis integration into other health programs, depended heavily on senior administration support for the program.
Conclusions:
Public health providers, with community partners, are willing and able to provide adult hepatitis services, even with very limited resources. Recommendations for Florida were to: use the State Public Health Lab for the most cost-efficient testing, expand outreach programs for high risk clients, continue promotion of the Program in each of the 67 CHD, ensure that vaccine and testing are included as a specific budget item, and expand awareness and education activities. Institutionalization of the Hepatitis Program into the CHD is critical for the prevention and control of hepatitis in Florida.
Web Page: www.doh.state.fl.us/disease_ctrl/aids/hep/HepExec.pdf
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See more of The 2005 National Viral Hepatitis Prevention Conference