National Viral Hepatitis Education, Awareness, and Capacity Building for Communities and Providers

Overview

The National Viral Hepatitis Education, Awareness, and Capacity Building for Communities and Providers program has a two-fold purpose:

• Part A: Community education, awareness, and capacity building
• Part B: Professional education and training

Part A: Community education, awareness, and capacity building

Part A recipients lead, maintain, and grow coalitions of diverse United States-based public and private organizations. These organizations specialize in:

• Reaching priority populations
• Providing culturally responsive hepatitis B and hepatitis C education and services
• Increasing awareness in the community about viral hepatitis prevention, testing, and treatment.

The recipients:

• Recruit and grow a coalition of community organizations poised to reach priority populations
• Provide technical assistance to organization members
• Support capacity to conduct hepatitis B and hepatitis C testing and linkage to care in the community
• Promote CDC's viral hepatitis strategic plan.

Part B: Professional education and training

Part B recipients maintain free web-based training to increase knowledge and skills of health care professionals (HCPs) to prevent, diagnose, and treat hepatitis B and hepatitis C.

Program priorities

Part A and Part B recipients focus on at least one priority population disproportionately impacted by hepatitis B and/or hepatitis C, including:

• PWID
• A/PI persons
• AI/AN persons
• Non-Hispanic Black persons

Timeline

Recipients are currently in year 3 of a 5-year cooperative agreement.

Each year, recipients provide annual reports and present plans for the coming year. Continuation applications for year 4 will be due in spring of 2024.

Funded partners

Funded recipients are broken into two categories: Part A and Part B.

Funding recipients: Part A

Part A recipients focus on community awareness and capacity building.

Hepatitis B Foundation

The Hepatitis B Foundation receives $275,000 per year to manage Hep B United, a national coalition dedicated to reducing the health disparities associated with hepatitis B. The program focuses on serving Asian American persons, Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander persons, African immigrants, and PWID.

The Hepatitis B Foundation and its partner, the Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organizations, are conducting robust training and capacity-building programs, including a mini-grant program, peer mentoring, expert working groups, webinars, a virtual hepatitis B project called Project ECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes)/community health worker training program, and opportunities to enhance multi-sectoral collaboration.

Additionally, they are working with staff from Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander-serving federally qualified health centers and local community leaders to build capacity for hepatitis B education, testing, and linkage to care. Lastly, the Hepatitis B Foundation will promote CDC's hepatitis B resources.

National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors (NASTAD)

NASTAD receives $275,000 per year through this cooperative agreement. Along with its partners, the National Viral Hepatitis Roundtable and National Association of County and City Health Officials, NASTAD focuses on improving the health of PWID. Together, they are growing a coalition of health departments, syringe services programs, community-based organizations, HCPs, and other partners of diverse geographic representation that serve PWID.

NASTAD and its partners are providing technical assistance and training to coalition members with a focus on hepatitis B and hepatitis C testing and linkage to care. Additionally, NASTAD promotes CDC's hepatitis B and hepatitis C education resources.

Funded recipients: Part B

Part B partners prioritize professional education and training for prospective HCPs.

University of Washington

The University of Washington receives $275,000 per year, to update and expand its continuing education platforms, Hepatitis B Online and Hepatitis C Online. Both platforms offer free accredited continuing medical education for HCPs engaged in the management of hepatitis B and hepatitis C.

Program staff members have developed a Clinical Challenges-Expert Opinion section on both Hepatitis B Online and Hepatitis C Online, a mini-lecture series, and new internet home pages.

The University of Washington markets and promotes continuing education programs to HCPs and clinicians who provide services to priority populations most impacted by viral hepatitis.

WebMD

Medscape Education, part of the WebMD Health Network, receives $275,000 per year to maintain a webpage with links to hepatitis resources and free, accredited, on-demand continuing education courses focused on hepatitis B and hepatitis C prevention and management. Providers can create a free Medscape account to access the courses and viral hepatitis destination page on Medscape.org titled, "Targeting Viral Hepatitis: A Roadmap for Providers."

Be sure to also explore continuing education activities including "Driving Hepatitis B Management: Universal Screening and Vaccination in Primary Care" and "Hepatitis C Virus Disparities: Strategies for Bridging the Gap." Over the program's intended 5-year span, WebMD will build on previously developed trainings to equip providers with information and strategies to better serve priority populations most impacted by viral hepatitis.