HHS announces $100 million in pilot funding for hepatitis C elimination

Last week The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has announced a $100 million pilot funding opportunity to prevent, test for, treat, and cure Hepatitis C (HCV) in individuals with substance use disorder (SUD) and/or serious mental illness (SMI). This program is designed 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). The Hepatitis C Elimination Initiative Pilot was developed and will be administered by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). “SAMHSA is committed to Make America Healthy Again by delivering holistic treatment to each person with our belief that no one is too sick to recover,” said Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Art Kleinschmidt. “SAMHSA envisions that the selected demonstration sites will advance HHS's gold standard in provision of effective treatment while developing best practices and successful models that can be applied to additional communities.”