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The Hepatitis Foundation of New
Zealand, in partnership with the New Zealand Ministry of Health and the Bay of
Plenty District of Health Board, is initiating a pilot project targeting
chronic hepatitis C in the Bay of Plenty. The goal of the project is to improve
health outcomes and access to care for people with hepatitis C.
In New Zealand, there are
approximately 50,000 people with chronic hepatitis C. Seventy-five percent of
these people do not know they are infected, and chronic hepatitis C is the main
cause of liver transplants in New Zealand.
According to the Hepatitis C Project
Manager, Kelly Barclay, the project “will involve a hepatitis nurse delivering
specialist care in the community. The goal will be to provide those with
hepatitis C with better access to testing, care and support where they live.”
The Hepatitis Foundation will work
with general practitioners, specialists, and other health providers to enroll
people with hepatitis C in a Community Assessment and Support Programme. Under
this program, a community nurse will provide enrolled patients with an initial
FibroScan assessment (a non-invasive new ultrasound technique that assesses the
level of liver disease and eliminates the need for liver biopsies in most
cases), blood tests, ongoing support and education, and will liaise with health
providers to centrally manage patients’ needs.
The project will begin in early 2013
with a public campaign to identify people at risk for hepatitis C and encourage
them to get tested.
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is
dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and
empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV
virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
