WVHAMP

Since March 5, 2020, WVHAMP has...

0
Individuals Trained
0
Consults Received (from 51 providers)
0
Patients Cured (for a 98.4% cure rate)

These numbers demonstrate that with guidance and support, PCPs who have never previously treated HCV can achieve the same rate of cure as a specialist (95-99%).

West Virginia HIV Academic Mentoring Partnership

On March 5, 2020, the West Virginia Hepatitis Academic Mentoring Partnership (WVHAMP) held its first training in Bluefield, WV. Since then, ably supported by the West Virginia Rural Health Association, we have held quarterly full-day trainings, providing primary care and addiction care providers with ongoing guidance to manage West Virginians with hepatitis C from diagnosis to cure. To date, WVHAMP Scholars have submitted almost 900 consultations, achieving a 98.3% cure rate that is comparable to the 95-99% rate expected of specialists.

As our state now has “the most worrisome HIV outbreak in the US” according to the CDC, we are now offering PCPs the knowledge and guidance to diagnose and treat HIV.

February 28th, 2023

Since March 5, 2020, WVHAMP has...

0
Individuals Trained
0
Consults Received (from 51 providers)
0
Patients Cured (for a 98.3% cure rate)

These numbers demonstrate that with guidance and support, PCPs who have never previously treated HCV can achieve the same rate of cure as a specialist (95-99%).

WVHAMP Provider Spotlight

Madison Humerick, MD

Dr. Humerick took the WVHAMP training in 2022 and has submitted 15 consultations, and cured 5 patients of the 6 that have completed treatment so far.  Dr. Humerick works with her colleagues at WVU Rural Family Medicine Residency to mentor the resident physicians in treating Hepatitis C in clinic and as part of their street medicine program/rotation.  


She has successfully treated patients with housing insecurity and those with active substance use that are actively participating in the local harm reduction program at Berkeley County Health Department.  Learning a new, practicing changing skill has been rewarding for her as a physician and part of a patient centered approach to medicine.  Dr, Humerick has seen that patients appreciate the one stop shop of treating their Hepatitis C while addressing acute and chronic primary care issues. 

How It Works

WVHAMP is a free telementoring partnership designed for primary and addiction care providers to link with disease experts for hepatitis C training. WVHAMP is designed to build a mentorship platform that is accessible to primary and addiction care providers caring for high-risk individuals throughout West Virginia, so that individuals with chronic hepatitis C can be cared for and cured in their own community.

WVHAMP Course Goals

  • Recruit primary and addiction care providers practicing in Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), Addiction Care Clinics, and rural community clinics in high-risk communities throughout West Virginia.
  • Establish a primary and addiction care workforce trained by hepatitis C experts to screen, diagnose, treat, and follow up with the goal of curing persons with chronic hepatitis C infection throughout West Virginia, including high-risk, rural, and low-resource settings.
  • Remove barriers to care for individuals diagnosed with hepatitis C.
  • Increase the number of West Virginians living with hepatitis C who are successfully linked to care and cured.

WVHAMP Course Objectives

  • Understand strategies to identify persons with chronic hepatitis C infection.
  • Understand hepatitis C epidemiology, screening, diagnosis, management, treatment, cure and prevention.
  • Understand the burden of hepatitis C infection in high risk groups in West Virginia and throughout the Appalachian Region.
  • Understand staging of liver disease and hepatitis C counseling and transmission risks.
  • Understand recent and evolving changes to West Virginia’s Medicaid Program and how these changes impact viral hepatitis treatment in West Virginia.
  • Understand how the increase in hepatitis C infection is related to the growing opioid epidemic in West Virginia and the U.S.
  • Have knowledge of injection drug use and describe the ways to enhance access to hepatitis C screening and treatment services for substance users.
  • Understand the infrastructure necessary to support hepatitis care, treatment and cure in primary and addiction care settings.
  • Identify screening for hepatitis C during pregnancy and the potential for perinatal transmission.
  • Understand procedures for screening, testing, treatment and cure of babies born to mothers with hepatitis C infection.

What is Expected

  • Participants will make a commitment to participate in WVHAMP trainings for at least 12 months. This training prepares providers to evaluate patients and submit consultations.
  • Interested providers apply to attend the WVHAMP day-long online Cycle 1 training.
  • After Cycle 1 training, providers are invited to participate in the evening educational webinars every month.  Providers will present challenges and patient cases to their peers and WVHAMP Mentorship Team for feedback and guidance.
  • Complete the half-day WVHAMP Cycle 2 training. That covers additional relevant topics.
  • Submit a WVHAMP Consultation Form for each patient that has been fully evaluated through the secure/online WVHAMP data system.
  • Mentors review the Consultation Form, advise on the proposed treatment regimen and approve the treatment plan.
  • Mentors provide backup for complex cases as needed.
  • Participants will be provided a one-year membership to the West Virginia Rural Health Association.
  • Participants will have access to WVHAMP training materials/tool kit on the West Virginia Rural Health Association website via a designated link.
  • WVHAMP planners have applied for Continuing Education Credits for participation.

WVHAMP training event dates

Each Cohort will have a full-day (WVHAMP 1) session followed by a half-day (WVHAMP 2) session approximately 6 months later. Monthly evening webinars will occur every 2 months on the 2nd or 3rd Tuesday.

Half day training will be registered for privately and is required for completion after each full day training.

February 7, 2023 (Cohort 10) -Register HERE

July 11, 2023 (Cohort 11) – Register HERE

October 17, 2023 (Cohort 12) – Register HERE

January 9, 2024 (Cohort 13) – Register HERE