World-first Hep C Point-of-Care Testing Program South Australian Viral Hepatitis Nurses are joining a world-first HCV point-of-care testing program being rolled out nationally in Australia. This follows community campaigns last year that brought hepatitis C rapid testing to the Riverland and Port Pirie. Murray Bridge – the site of Hepatitis SA’s first LiverBetterLife project in 2017 – is one of the rural sites for the National Australia HCV Point of Care Testing Program’s initiative in South Australia. Viral Hepatitis Nurses Rosalie Altus and Lucy Ralton from the Southern Adelaide Local Health Network (SALHN) together with Hepatitis SA have connected with local services to plan regular point of care testing sessions in the regional city, beginning in March.
Why Murray Bridge? “Murray Bridge is an area with a lower socio-economic index that’s been deeply affected by drug use in recent years,” said Lucy. “Compared to Greater Adelaide, it has a higher proportion of unemployment and people looking for work as well as people with a disability. “These are all factors associated with a higher risk of hepatitis C infection.” Hepatitis SA educators will provide a series of free education sessions to workers in mental health care, community corrections, drug and alcohol services, and other community services, as well as GP networks. The sessions will cover basic hepatitis C information, risk factors, diagnosis and
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treatment, and also inform the workforce about the national point-of-care testing program and its roll out in Murray Bridge. Rosalie and Lucy will coordinate with services which express interest in hosting the point-of-care testing clinics for their clients and work out the best time and format for each clinic location. Because it takes a bit of time for new projects to build up momentum and for relationships with key local people and services to develop, the nurses will trial regular testing clinics for six months to see what the uptake is like. “We’ll adapt the where, when and how as we go so that we can optimise the opportunity to bring hepatitis C point of care testing to people in the Murray Bridge area,” said Lucy.
ACCHO Clinics In addition to community clinics run by the viral hepatitis nurses, there will be hepatitis C point-of-care testing clinics at the Moorundi Aboriginal Controlled Health Service in Murray Bridge and Pangula Mannamurna in Mount Gambier, both of which are also registered HCVPOCT sites. According to HCVPOCT Project Coordinator, David Silk, rural sites make up around 25% of total testing sites. Murray Bridge together with Moorundi and Pangula Mannamurna will form the core of South Australia’s rural testing sites. Moorundi’s Aboriginal Health Clinical Director, Beth Hummerston, said hepatitis C point of care testing will work well at their