Project HCV Connect: Using a County Surveillance Registry to Link Hepatitis C Virus-Infected Residents to Cure—Los Angeles County, April 2023 to March 2024

Los Angeles County has a high prevalence of chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, but resources and infrastructure to notify and increase treatment uptake among county residents are absent. Through an innovative academic-public partnership, we developed a linkage-to-cure program utilizing the Department of Public Health's HCV surveillance registry. Case workers contacted reported cases via phone, to offer education, and treatment referral. Three months after the initial communication, individuals that reported that they were untreated were recontacted to evaluate treatment status. Between April 2023 and March 2024, a total of 639 individuals with HCV were interviewed; 84% of them were aware of their infection status, and 70% were untreated. Among those interviewed three months after initial communication (n = 260), 22% started or completed treatment and 30% were under evaluation for treatment. Leveraging existing resources and new partnerships Public Health Departments could mobilize individuals to seek medical care and lead the effort towards elimination of HCV.