Hepatitis C Telehealth Services in Harm Reduction Programs
| This 2 -hour webinar will feature panelists from across New York State discussing how Hepatitis C Telehealth Services can be integrated into Harm Reduction Programs’ services.
Objectives: By the end of this webinar, participants will be able to:
Moderator: Mike Selick, MSW, Harm Reduction Coalition, Hepatitis C Training and Policy Manager Panelists: Dr. Justine Waldman, MD, FACEP is a Board Certified in Addiction Medicine, Emergency Medicine, and a Fellow of the American College of Emergency Physicians. For 15 years she practiced emergency medicine primarily in Ithaca, NY. Her interest in medicine has always been driven by access to care and health equity issues. In 2005, she spearheaded the opening of the Ithaca Free Clinic, a volunteer multidisciplinary clinic open to the uninsured. In 2014, she was part of the Harm Reduction Team that gave recommendations for the Ithaca Plan: A Public Health and Safety Approach to Drugs and Drug Policy. Since her involvement on that team, she has focused most of her work on health equity. In December of 2016, she began providing medical services at the first Health Hub at a Syringe Exchange Program in New York state at the Southern Tier Aids Program in Ithaca. At the Health Hub, Dr. Waldman provides Low Threshold Medication Assisted Therapy, Hepatitis C treatment, and acute care to People Who Use Drugs. She is currently the CEO of Reach Medical in Ithaca, NY, a medical practice offering integrated primary care and low threshold harm reduction services for people who tend to face stigma in the current medical system. Reach Medical offers full primary care, medication assisted therapy with buprenorphine, Hepatitis C screening and treatment and medical cannabis. Reach Medical is a tax exempt PLLC under The REACH Project, a non-profit providing Respectful Equitable Access to Compassionate Health. Dr. Talal, MD, MPH is a physician-scientist with more than 20 years’ experience in treating hepatitis C virus (HCV), especially among substance users. He is currently Professor of Medicine at SUNY, University at Buffalo where he has developed a translational liver research center and biorepository with funding from the Kaleida Health Foundation. Dr. Talal is also the principal investigator on a 5-year award from the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute to study telemedicine-based HCV treatment among patients on methadone. The study consists of 12 telemedicine sites across New York State conducting integrated treatment of HCV and opiate use disorder. Dr. Talal has been a leader in the treatment of HCV, which is indicated by his appointment by Governor Cuomo to a task force to develop a statewide HCV elimination plan. Dr. Talal was selected based upon his expertise on HCV and his use of emerging technologies to reach and treat patients who might not otherwise have access to health services. Dr. Talal is also the Chair of the New York State Telehealth Workgroup with the objective of increasing access to telehealth as an option for HCV treatment among persons with opioid use disorder. Dr. Talal also conducts numerous industry-sponsored clinical trials that operate within the liver center. He has been able to leverage his relationships with industry partners to fund diverse research and educational endeavors related to HCV and substance user health. As a researcher, he has published on topics such as HCV, telemedicine, drug metabolism, and social determinants of health. He has also developed liver fine needle aspiration as a technique for liver sampling with wide industry support. David Kalinoski, MSW, MPH graduated with his Bachelor of Arts from Temple University in 2013. He completed a year of service in the AmeriCorps program City Year from 2013-2014 in Philadelphia where he provided tutoring, classroom support, and group facilitation for middle school children in low income communities. Afterwards, he worked at Getting Out and Staying Out in New York City as an administrative assistant, program facilitator, and upstate correspondent for justice involved adolescents and young adults from 2014-2016. David recently graduated from Columbia University with a Masters of Social Work and a Masters of Public Health dual degree. His work includes examining health disparities in U.S. communities of color, linking the intersection of HIV and mental health in sub-Saharan Africa, exploring racism through the lens of virtual reality in 1000 Cut Journey, direct service in harm reduction with people who actively use drugs, and counseling in the setting of New York City. Abigail Hunter, MPH, MSN, FNP-BC Abigail is a family nurse practitioner with a current focus on substance use, harm reduction and HCV treatment in outpatient, community settings. After graduating from University of Michigan with a Masters’ in Public Health in Population Planning and International Health, she worked as a coordinator of a network of HIV and substance use providers in North Brooklyn. Subsequently, she translated behavioral research findings for social service agencies, provided trainings, and worked on manuscript development and grant submissions at National Development and Research Institutes, Inc. In search of medical training and a more direct impact on health behavior associated with HIV and substance use, she attended SUNY Downstate Medical Center for her BSN and MSN in Family Health. Since graduation, she worked at a Medication Assisted Treatment facility providing methadone, suboxone, HCV and primary care to substance users. In January 2020, Abigail was hired by Mount Sinai Health System’s Respectful and Equitable Access to Comprehensive Health Care (REACH) Program to be based at VOCAL- NY, a statewide grassroots organization that builds power among low income people affected by HIV, homelessness, incarceration, through direct action, community organizing and service provision. Medical services at VOCAL-NY include HCV treatment and suboxone provision in a low threshold, non-judgmental setting.
Prerequisite: We suggest you have a basic knowledge of HCV testing and treatment in order to have the full context of this webinar.
Audience: All health and human service providers, including Peers Workers
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