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CPRIT grant expands hepatitis B/C screening and treatment for people experiencing homelessness
Summary
A program called Grassroots Health, funded by the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT), has provided on-site hepatitis B vaccination, testing and hepatitis C treatment navigation to people experiencing homelessness since about 2018–2019, testing more than 1,000 people and linking over 50 to hepatitis C treatment.
A staff member representing the Grassroots Health program said the initiative, funded through a grant from the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT), began around 2018–2019 and targets people with experiences of homelessness.
The staff member said Grassroots Health goes into housing sites and offers education, on-site testing, hepatitis B vaccination for eligible people and navigation through hepatitis B and C treatment. “We have been able to provide testing to over a 1,000 individuals with experiences of homelessness,” the staff member said, and added the program has “been able to engage people in hepatitis C treatment over 50 who otherwise would have never have been treated for hepatitis C.”
The program representative described CPRIT funding as the enabling factor for expanding the project to new populations and locations. “We would have done none of that work without CPRIT funding,” the staff member said, adding that the grant allowed the team to build collaborations and trust in the community.
The representative said the model waits until individuals are housed and then provides the full continuum of care on-site: education, testing, vaccination when eligible and navigation for treatment. The staff member said the project’s prevention focus and ability to deliver service directly were central to its impact, and characterized the funding as life-saving for some participants.
No formal motions, votes or policy actions were recorded in these remarks. The presentation described program operations, outcomes to date, and the role of CPRIT grant funding in enabling expanded services.
