CHCACT has been partnering with Gilead Sciences to bring its FOCUS program (On the Frontlines of Communities in the United States) to FQHCs throughout Connecticut, with a goal to increase testing for HIV and Hepatitis C at health centers. This past year, five FQHCs participated in the FOCUS program: Community Health & Wellness Center of Greater Torrington, Community Health Services, InterCommunity, Norwalk Community Health Center and UCFS.

On September 29^th, CHCACT had its final learning collaborative meeting with the participating health centers. These meetings allowed health center staff to share best practices with each other and discuss any challenges and successes they have had over the past couple of months. Health centers shared the different tools they used to help identify those patients that were eligible for testing based on CDC guidelines. The group discussed how Hepatitis C prevalence has grown across CT and how FQHCs can partner with other agencies in the community to ensure patients receive the care they need. Through the FOCUS project, the participating FQHCs have built new workflows in their clinic for universal HIV and Hepatitis C testing and made enhancements to their Electronic Health Records to help improve tracking of patients who need to be tested and their results.  

If you are interested in learning more about this project or how to improve your health center’s HIV or Hepatitis C testing rate, get in touch! 

Marlene

Clinical Programs Director