29 July 2022 Regional-first mobile clinic set to improve community access to hepatitis C detection To celebrate World Hepatitis Day and the national awareness campaign launch, Te Manawa Taki – Community Hepatitis C Service unveiled their specialist mobile hepatitis C pop-up clinic in Huntly this week. Jo de Lisle, Hep C Project Manager from Te Whatu Ora, HealthShare said the mobile clinic is a regional first, significantly improving community access to hepatitis C (hep C) resources by bringing point-of-care testing and treatment to areas where it is needed most. It also has two additional clinic rooms so Te Manawa Taki Community Hepatitis C Service can partner with other service providers. “Hep C is a blood borne virus that causes liver inflammation and can lead to liver cancer if left untreated. Here in New Zealand around 1000 people contract hep C every year while about 200 people die from it. “Around 45,000 Kiwis are living with the virus, and half of them may be unaware they have it due to symptoms not showing for years, or even decades in some cases.” Jo said the mobile clinic will be a gamechanger for detecting locals living with hep C. “Bringing hep C testing and treatment services straight to communities that are at high-risk will change so many lives for the better. We bring this free service to the people – they don’t need to go anywhere.” “Reflecting on the van, we would like to offer a huge thank you to the Ministry of Health for providing the funding to make this happen and to Te Whatu Ora – Waikato for arranging the van’s fit out ensuring we will be providing a world-class service.” Nancy Carey, Community Hep C Nurse Coordinator for Te Manawa Taki, says the ability to provide end-to-end care on the doorstep of hep C patients is an encouraging step forward to eliminating the virus. “Amazing curative antiviral treatments have been a game changer for those living with hep C, and our clinic on wheels means we can test and treat people where it is needed most. Treatment lasts for only 8 weeks, is completely free and has few, if any, side effects. “The layout of the van allows us to collaborate and work alongside other services who want to partner with us, as the van can accommodate up to three clinics.” The launch of the van coincides with the launch of the national awareness campaign, ‘Stick it to hep C.’ Launched on World Hepatitis Day the campaign has a cheeky focus, aimed at raising awareness and encouraging Kiwis to get an easy, finger-prick test to detect the virus.
National campaign and mobile Hep C clinic van launch 28.07.2022
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