NARA NW Hep C Free - The Native American Rehabilitation Association of the Northwest (NARA NW) was founded in 1970 to provide recovery services to the American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) population in the Portland Metropolitan Area. Since its founding, NARA NW has expanded its services to 11 clinical and non-clinical sites in order to provide integrated, culturally appropriate care to Native communities. NARA NW provides primary healthcare, dental care, behavioral health services, and outpatient and inpatient substance use disorder treatment; along with wraparound care from food boxes and transportation to housing placements. Currently, NARA NW deploys mobile outreach teams to provide on-site sexually transmitted infection (STI) testing, diagnosis, same-day treatment and prevention education in high-need settings such as shelters, encampments and street-based locations. NARA NW will continue this work through its partnership with SAMHSA and the Hep C Free Program, focusing on curing hepatitis c for unhoused and/or individuals with severe and persistent mental illness, as well as all those in need. Throughout the SAMHSA-supported Hep C Free Program, NARA NW will reach at least 10,000 individuals with either education, testing, treatment or all three activities. NARA NW will cure at least 51 individuals a year of hepatitis c in order to reach its overall goal to reduce the prevalence of hepatitis c among American Indians/Alaska Natives, who according to the CDC have some of the highest rates of contracting hepatitis c despite only making up around 2% of the population. We will also focus on vulnerable populations such as people experiencing homelessness and severe mental illness. This goal will be met by the following objectives: Objective 1a. By the end of Year 1, all NARA NW registered nurses and medical assistants will be trained in HCV RNA point-of-care testing; Objective 1b. By the end of Year 1, establish and implement an inter-departmental workflow to ensure that all clients initiating HCV therapy are assessed and receive referrals to additional health and social services as needed; Objective 1c. By the end of Year 1, conduct at least 6 community outreach events, offering HCV screening with same-day diagnosis and treatment; Objective 2a. By the end of Year 1, establish partnerships with at least two new community organizations serving people experiencing homelessness in Portland, and host a minimum of two collaborative events with new and existing partners to strengthen engagement and impact; Objective 2b. By the end of Year 1, increase the integration of SUD and SMI screening and treatment by conducting at least 100 assessments in the community outreach setting; Objective 2c. By the end of month 3, establish a formal referral pathway to a Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program provider for patients living with HIV who choose not to receive HIV treatment through NARA NW; Objective 3a. Increase HCV testing during outreach events by at least 5% by the end of Year 1 and by at least 10% by the end of Year 2; Objective 3b. By the end of Year 1, initiate HCV treatment for at least 40 new or existing clients; Objective 3c. Increase the follow-up visit rate by at least 3% by the end of Year 1 and by at least 5% by the end of Year 2.
