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Report 1 HCV & Substance Abuse Conference
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NATAP - www.natap.org
from: Jules Levin
I am attending the Hepatitis C Infectiob and Substance Abuse Conference in Washington DC. This conference opened last night 7pm Nov 11 and concludes Nov 13 at 2:30pm. It is sponsored by NIDA, NIDDK, NIAID, OAR, NIH, HRSA, and the VA. The conference is being billed as a followup to the NIH Conference on Hep C held over a year ago for the purpose of "address a wide range of clinical issues and identify important research gaps related to treatment of HCV in individuals with current (or a history of) substance abuse/use; to discuss development of models for integrated care and management and provide future directions for research".
The opening & panel speakers last night discussed VA commitment (from doctor from VA), HRSA's role (I still want to know what it is?), and several speakers laying out the issues, taking negative views, and listing potential solutions.
There are a number of doctors here that are providing great services at HCV and coinfection clinics in various cities around the US. Their clinics serve as models and the govt sponsors of this meeting know of these individuals and their successful programs. So, as I see it this conference is not to learn about these models because NIH officials know very well what these models are, but what is the resolve of this committee and these govt agencies in addressing the problems. I engaged in an interchange from the microphone with the panel last night and said this. The panel moderator asked me what services should be provided at a clinic and I responded by saying that the panel already did a good job, they know what services are needed; what is needed is the resolve to do somethong about this. Of course, then some panelists saidwe don't have the money. I said thats a copout, programs can be implemented. I have to run to opening session so I'll report back later.
Day 3, NIDA HCV & Substance Abuse Conference
Report 4 from the NIDA HCV & Substance Abuse Conference
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