Blueprint launch at the 8th CSHCV/CLM
There was excitement in the air as the CanHepC Blueprint to inform hepatitis C elimination efforts in Canada was launched at the 8th Canadian Symposium on Hepatitis C Virus (CSHCV) and the inaugural of the Canadian Liver Meeting in Montreal on May 24th, 2019.
Dr Jordan Feld, chairman of the Blueprint Writing Committee, opened the launch session with a 25-30 minutes presentation summarising the Blueprint document followed by a discussion panel where some of the Blueprint Writing Committee members (Julie Bruneau, Université de Montréal; Melisa Dickie, CATIE; Lindsay Jennings, Prisoners HIV/AIDS Support Action Network; Marina Klein, McGill University; and Mel Krajden, University of British Columbia) where invited to talk about the next steps and challenges facing the development of action plans in different regions of the country. Questions from the audience were also taken.
The Blueprint is a policy tool designed to help guide provinces, territories and the federal government in developing their own actions plans to eliminate hepatitis C. The CanHepC network and several partners (CATIE, PASAN, AHC, CLF, CAAN and many others) have been at the forefront of this huge endeavor steering an equitable and inclusive process that started at the last CSHCV in February 2018. In a little over a year the document has been shaped by a dedicated Writing Committee and four Workings Groups comprised of researchers, healthcare workers, community leaders from priority populations most affected, clinicians and others.
Through a consultative process and concerted efforts, the Blueprint has been structured around three main pillars: Prevention, Testing and diagnosis, Care and treatment – each linked to objectives and time-bound, measurable targets. Each of these pillars includes good practices and suggested activities to help reach the targets and a list of research priorities. A fourth pillar is entirely dedicated to addressing the specific needs of the priority populations most affected by hepatitis C with tailored recommendations and considerations which are also integrated into the main pillars.
The Blueprint has a section on the surveillance systems we should put in place or strengthen to address the gaps in knowledge about Canada’s hepatitis C epidemic as well as indicators and metrics to help monitor our progress in acheiving each of the main pillar’s objective and targets. Stigma is an important barrier to hepatitis C prevention, testing and care and to this effect the Blueprint includes specific recommendations on how to decrease hepatitis C-related stigma. Finally overarching recommendations actionable at the federal level are also summarised.
This 91 pages long document offers a menu of options and resources that should be adapted to different context, regions and settings and is designed to support policy makers, health ministry, public health and program staff planners, as well as healthcare providers and communities in developing their own action plans towards elimination of hepatitis C.
- The entire Blueprint launch session is available on YouTube.
- The Blueprint to inform hepatitis C elimination efforts in Canada is available for download in English in French on our website.
- Any questions regarding the Blueprint can be directed to info@canhepc.ca
Photo credit: Alain Dufour
