Creating an evidence-based hepatitis C risk assessment card: The Harlem Hepatitis C Task Force

Disparate rates of hepatitis C (HCV) prevalence have been reported in particular populations, geographic areas and settings. HCV prevalence rates in Harlem are estimated to be among the highest in New York City (NYC) and are thought to occur as a result of higher incidence of HCV risk factors. The Centers for Disease Control recommends that adults in the United States be assessed for HCV risk factors, and that those at risk be tested for HCV antibodies in the blood. In 2002, Mount Sinai School of Medicine (MSSM), a Harlem-based health care provider, conducted a study that screened 1000 randomly selected adults on 27 HCV Risk Factors; provided HCV antibody testing for all; and preformed multivariable logistic regression analysis to identify risk factors associated with HCV antibodies. The study results were published in 2008 and the first validated HCV Risk Assessment Screening Tool was created. When the National Institutes of Health called for increased outreach to individuals in need of HCV evaluation and treatment in 2002, Harlem health care providers were not yet networked to respond effectively. In 2008, MSSM and the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene partnered with key community-based organizations to form the Harlem HCV Task Force, the fourth in a network of NYC coalitions that collectively identify and meet critical needs HCV-affected communities. The first Harlem Task Force project was to transform MSSM's validated HCV risk assessment tool into an HCV Risk Assessment Card that will be distributed throughout NYC by the task force network.