Free Hepatitis C Testing at Special One-Day Event
Author: Health Agency
Date:
4/20/2018 5:56:04 PM
Presented by Access Support Network and County of San Luis Obispo Drug & Alcohol Services
On Thursday, April 26, San Luis Obispo County residents can drop by the Health Agency Campus for a free and confidential Hepatitis C test—plus free lunch. The test is a simple finger prick and results are available in 20 minutes. Those who test positive will receive counseling on the spot and be connected with resources in our community to learn about treatment and get the care they need. Qualifying participants will receive a $10 gift card for gas or food. Participants also have the option to be tested for HIV at the same time.
The County Health Agency's Drug & Alcohol Services team is collaborating with Access Support Network (ASN) to present this one-day drop-in event. Lunch and gift cards are provided by ASN.
When
Thursday, April 26, 2018
8:30 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Where
Health Agency Campus: 2180 Johnson Avenue in San Luis Obispo
Look for the mobile testing station outside the main building.
Who Should Get Tested
CDC recommends that everyone born from 1945–1965 get tested for hepatitis C, along with people who have injected drugs (even once, or even a long time ago), people who received a blood transfusion before 1992, people who have HIV, and others who are especially at risk.
Hepatitis C is a viral liver disease that can cause liver damage, cancer and even death. While anyone can get hepatitis C, 75 percent of people with hepatitis C were born from 1945–1965. Today, hepatitis C is most commonly spread by sharing needles. It can also be spread through sexual contact, though this is less common. In the past, it was sometimes spread by blood transfusions or other medical procedures. Many people who are infected with hepatitis C do not know they have the disease because they do not look or feel sick. The only way to know for sure is to get tested.
Medicine is available to treat hepatitis C, including new options that appear to be more effective and have fewer side effects than previous treatments. With these new advances, more than 90 percent of people with Hepatitis C can be cured with medication. This treatment is covered by Medi-Cal and most private insurance. There is currently no vaccine for hepatitis C.
This testing event is open to anyone who would like to be tested for any reason.
Hepatitis C testing is also available any time from your regular health care provider and from Access Support Network, the Public Health Department and other community testing programs.
To learn more about hepatitis C, visit www.cdc.gov/hepatitis.
To learn more about this event, call Access Support Network at 805-781-3660.
Plus: Not sure if you should get tested? CDC offers a five-minute online risk assessment for hepatitis.