New Plan to Combat State’s Rising Rate of Hepatitis C

The grant will also support the creation of a high-end biomedical research center.

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Indiana’s rate of Hepatitis C cases continues to rise, which has prompted IUPUI, the Indiana State Department of Health and the IU School of Medicine to team up for a partnership called Project ECHO. The statewide initiative aims to reduce the infection rate by increasing the amount of primary care doctors in underserved areas who are trained to treat Hepatitis C.

Indiana’s infection rate was 2.5 times the national average in 2015. The state has experienced the highest number of those affected in rural communities, mostly to people aged 20-40. 

Project ECHO will allow health experts to use videoconferencing to hold virtual clinics with providers across the state. Its the state’s first use of the ECHO model developed in 2003. Providers are enrolled in Clark, Elkhart, Gibson, Greene, Hamilton, Marion and Scott counties. The teleECHO clinics are available for free.