In October 2007, the County of Los Angeles Department of Public Health was awarded an Adult Viral Hepatitis Prevention grant by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This five- year grant funds an
Adult Viral Hepatitis Prevention Coordinator (AVHPC) position currently based at the Office of AIDS Programs and Policy. The principal intent of the AVHPC is to coordinate the viral hepatitis efforts with six other public health programs throughout Los Angeles County. The AVHPC will serve as a liaison with federal, State, and local stakeholders; Community Based Organizations (CBO); the Los Angeles County Hepatitis C Task Force; and the Los Angeles County HIV Prevention and Care Planning Councils.
Using the HIV disease management model, the Adult Viral Hepatitis Prevention effort will focus on primary and secondary prevention, education and training, testing and surveillance, care and treatment, and advocacy and policy. The purpose of this cooperative agreement is to improve the delivery of viral hepatitis prevention services in health-care settings and public health programs that serve adults at risk for viral hepatitis. The primary goals of these activities are to decrease the incidence of new infections of hepatitis A virus (HAV), hepatitis B virus (HBV), and hepatitis C virus (HCV) (primary prevention) and to decrease risks for chronic liver disease, including cirrhosis and liver cancer, in persons with chronic HBV infection or chronic HCV infection (secondary prevention).
