Fueled by the opioid epidemic, hepatitis C infections have increased dramatically in rural communities in the Great Lakes Region. Since 2017, a consortium of academic, public health and community-based partners have undertaken abroad research program in six rural Wisconsin counties. The research team has surveyed more than 800 people who inject drugs and interviewed diverse stakeholders working on the public opioid response to inform best practices for reducing the spread of HIV, hepatitis and preventing overdose. In this 60-minute webinar, Principal Investigator Dr. Ryan Westergaard will review lessons learned through this research and describe how the communities plan to move forward with implementation of a client-centered prevention service coordination intervention starting in late 2019.
