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Learning Objective:
Learning Objectives: By the end of the presentation, participants will be able to:
1) Identify the methods used to integrate a VHIP project within an Indian health care setting
2) Describe the prevalence of serologic evidence of immunity to viral hepatitis and identify opportunities for prevention among higher risk American Indian individuals.
Background:
Background: The Phoenix Indian Medical Center's (PIMC) Viral Hepatitis Integration Project (VHIP) receives partial support from the CDC Division of Viral Hepatitis.
Setting:
Setting: PIMC is located in Phoenix, Arizona. The facility provides direct medical programs and collaborates with Tribal, County, and State-based programs.
Population e.g. API Youth, MSM, IDU:
Population: American Indian and Alaska Native people living in urban and rural central Arizona locations.
Project Description:
Project Description: Links to laboratory surveillance of hepatitis and sexually transmitted diseases, primary care services, and collaboration with community-based programs serve as a means to identify patients who are at higher than usual risk for viral hepatitis. Such patients are provided with comprehensive risk factor assessment accompanied by prevention counseling, testing, and referral. Among 858 individuals (31% male, mean age 27.4, range 14 to 79 years), quantified risks included alcohol abuse (12%), poly-substance abuse (5%), injection drug use (2%), dialysis (1%), and exposure to sexually transmitted diseases (Chlamydia 57%, gonorrhea 13%, syphilis 7%, and HIV 1%). Among these individuals, the serologic prevalence of Hepatitis C was 5.7%. Serologic evidence of prior immunity, by either past infection or through immunization, was 56% for Hepatitis A and was 25% for Hepatitis B.
Results/Lessons Learned:
Lessons Learned:
1) Higher risk individuals can be identified by linking laboratory surveillance, primary care medical care and community-based programs.
2) Among these higher risk individuals, significant opportunities exist for prevention of hepatitis through education and immunization.
3) To effectively target interventions, further development of linkages with medical and community programs and improvements in risk assessment and stratification will be needed.
See more of E6 - Hepatitis Prevention for American Indian and Alaska Native Populations
See more of The 2005 National Viral Hepatitis Prevention Conference