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Hepatitis C Prevention Support & Research Program (60 Kb) or HTML

Health Canada's hepatitis C website is a Canadian resource for those infected with and affected by hepatitis C. It is the result of the Canadian government's mandate to provide Canadians with a trustworthy source of information and community support for all those who are affected by this disease. Health Canada's hepatitis C's website provides information and support 24 hours a day. Please use it and tell others about it.

Background

There have been several important commitments made by the federal government in the area of hepatitis C infection, including preventing infection, treating and caring for those infected with this virus. In September, 1998, the federal government announced initiatives to provide better hepatitis C disease prevention and treatment, to significantly strengthen blood safety, and to help all Canadians infected with the hepatitis C virus.

Hepatitis C Prevention, Support and Research Program

Following the Minister's announcement, Health Canada staff were assigned the task of designing, implementing and managing the new hepatitis C program. The Hepatitis C Prevention, Support and Research Program, which provides the basis for a federal response to hepatitis C, is part of the new Hepatitis C Division located within Health Canada's Population and Public Health Branch (PPHB).

Consultations with Canadians were instrumental in helping the Division design a federal program which both fulfills Health Canada's commitments and meets the needs identified by groups and individuals. In partnership with stakeholders, goals and guiding principles were developed to assist in the design and implementation of the new federal program.

The goals of the Program are to:

	contribute to the prevention of hepatitis C infection
	promote the development and availability of tools and mechanisms in support of persons infected with or affected by hepatitis C
	provide a stronger evidence base for hepatitis C policy and programming decisions and advance prevention, treatment and cure options by expanding the body of available research and research capacity
	strengthen the response of the Canadian population to hepatitis C through increased awareness and capacity

Program Components

The Program is divided into five major components which are described in detail below.

Prevention

This component includes targeted programming aimed at preventing the transmission of hepatitis C among those who are currently uninfected, particularly those who are at high risk, such as injection drug users. Programming is also targeted at those people who face marginal risk such as health care workers and partners of hepatitis C-positive individuals.

In collaboration with key sectors and institutions in Canadian society such as community groups serving marginalized populations, addictions agencies and health care practitioners, Health Canada will improve the general public's awareness and knowledge of hepatitis C and contribute to efforts to prevent its spread in Canada.

Some of the activities under this component of the Program include:

	the development of tools, training and information materials to support national, regional and local prevention activities
	activities which build the skills of those who are at greatest risk to reduce their vulnerability to infection by encouraging them to adopt risk reduction behaviours
	funding pilot projects and programs, evaluating their effectiveness and sharing results with others

Care and Treatment Support

National-level activities under this component of the Program support the needs of those who are already infected with or affected by hepatitis C. These activities contribute to enhancing the health and well-being of these persons by delaying the progression of the disease and improving their awareness of and access to the care, treatment and support that they require. As in other components, building the commitment and capacity of key organizations and institutions to provide better care, treatment and support is critical to the success of this part of the Program.

	educating and training professionals and non-professionals
	producing treatment guidelines
	generating public awareness
	disseminating information
	developing networks

Community-Based Support

This component includes programming to support both a strong community-based response to the needs of persons infected with or affected by hepatitis C, as well as a strong role for community organizations in the Hepatitis C Prevention, Support and Research Program. The activities of this component will contribute to gaining a better understanding of the nature and effects of hepatitis C infection and how communities can provide support to those who are infected with or at increased risk of hepatitis C infection.

This component will strengthen links between organizations through:

	funding and capacity-building support for organizations and initiatives on behalf of persons infected with, affected by and at risk of hepatitis C infection
	funding support for the development and evaluation of community-based programming which responds to the needs of those who are infected with, affected by or at risk of hepatitis C infection

Research

Research is required to bridge the gap between what is currently known about hepatitis C and what needs to be known to be effective in prevention and treatment. The goal of this component is to further hepatitis C related knowledge, to transfer and disseminate it, and to apply research findings to the activities taking place under other components of the Program.

The following are some of the activities that are supported under the research component:

	furthering the development of Canada's research capacity by supporting investigator-initiated research and training scientists to work in the field of hepatitis C research
	encouraging research workshops and conferences to promote research activities and identify priorities
	continuing to identify and respond to emerging and changing priorities
	working together with partners to identify other sources of funding to advance hepatitis C research
	communicating the results of research so that all may benefit from the new knowledge

Management, Policy, Evaluation, Public Involvement and Emerging Priorities

Health Canada is undertaking several activities to ensure that the Program is well-managed, that it is coordinated with others who are interested and involved, and that the Program is transparent and accountable for the effective use of the resources devoted to it. Specific activities under this component include:

	developing strategic partnerships to support and advance the Program's goals
	communicating with interested parties and the general public about the Program
	keeping the Program flexible so that it can adapt its priorities to emerging needs as new knowledge is gained about hepatitis C
	conducting a mid-term and five year review of the Program

The management activity provides the leadership for the overall Program. This is the focal point for international linkages and inter-sectoral partnerships and collaborations. To assist in this endeavour, an advisory body has been formed consisting of stakeholder groups and representatives from the Hepatitis C Prevention, Support and Research Program. The objectives of the Program Advisory Group (PAG) are to:

	assist the program management team with direction setting
	foster citizen engagement in the implementation of the Program
	ensure complementarity and coordination of key sectors, organizations and institutions assuming responsibilities and/or taking initiatives relevant to the Program's objectives