Australasian Viral Hepatitis Elimination Conference Mental health

A report back on Rebecca Brereton and Bradley Whitto's session Integrating hepatitis C care within community mental health and addiction services. 

An innovative model of care between a Nurse Practitioner and Hepatology Nurse. Rebecca Brereton and Bread Whitten are employed by The Alfred Hospital in Melbourne, Vic. Both nurse specialists who have set up a nurse-led Hep C clinic within the Psychiatry and AOD service. Their aim is to provide access to DAA’s whilst educating the broader Psychiatry/AOD teams and increasing their confidence in prescribing, with a hope to reduce the burden of disease amongst this vulnerable group of people.

A report back on Rebecca Brereton and Bradley Whitto's session Integrating hepatitis C care within community health and addiction services. 

Rebecca and Brad provided an insight into what services they provide at the Alfred Hospital for the south eastern suburbs of Melbourne, from m the point of view of a Nurse Practitioner and Clinical Nurse Consultant working with people who have hepatitis C, drug addiction issues and/or diagnosed with a mental health disorder. The aim of the service is to provide a nurse-led model of care, to educate people with hepatitis C, on the new treatment regime, allowing them to feel included and not excluded, due to their mental health and lifestyle choices.  The idea is to minimize the barriers of treatment by allowing everyone who has hepatitis C, no matter what their status is, in having access to affordable accessible treatment and being cured.

A report back on Kurt Brereton's session: Inside the Lived Experience delivered at the Treating Hepatitis C in General Practice Forum

Kurt is a man who has had Hep C contracted, many years ago, in his youth.  He outlined his journey and provided insight into his feelings and treatment by others particularly health professionals and provided advice and ideas on how to interact with people who are at risk or do carry Hep C.

A report back on Dr. Nada Andric's session: Treating hepatitis C in people with severe mental illness-challenges and victories in primary care delivered at the Hepatitis C in General Practice Forum.

I attended the pre-conference GP forum which was aimed at bringing GPs together to share strategies and local solutions for treating people living with hepatitis C. The speakers ranged from infectious disease specialists as well as GPs with varying levels of experience in the management of hepatitis C across different practice settings. There was also a presentation from a patient with a “lived” hepatitis C experience.