What disease has infected an estimated 200 million people worldwide—many of whom remain completely unaware of their infection? If you answered hepatitis C, you are right. Often referred to as a “silent killer,” the symptoms of hepatitis C can remain dormant for years. “You could get infected today and not develop symptoms for 20 years or so,” says Teresa Lamore, associate program director of PHMC’s Philadelphia Hepatitis Outreach Project (P-HOP). “All the while, your liver may be adversely affected.” Spread by blood-to-blood contact, hepatitis C slowly deteriorates the liver of 85% of those infected, sometimes leading to liver cancer. “The number of people infected versus the number of people who know they are infected is very disproportionate,” says Lamore. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an estimated 4.1 million Americans have hepatitis C and an additional 19,000 people are infected each year. Although treatable through a 48- to 52-week drug regimen, many hepatitis C infected patients remain unaware of their need for treatment until their health deteriorates.

In 2007, Pennsylvania Department of Health’s Bureau of Drug and Alcohol Programs developed P-HOP in collaboration with PHMC with the goal of screening the Philadelphia area for undiagnosed hepatitis C infections. “There’s a stigma attached to hepatitis C,” says Lamore. “There’s a perception that it only happens to drug users. It’s our challenge to communicate the message that it can affect everyone.” The program reached close to 1,300 clients in fiscal year 2007, when it began actively screening through events sponsored by city-funded substance abuse treatment facilities and community events including an annual fair hosted by P-HOP in collaboration with PHMC’s New Pathways for Women. On average, in one screening event P-HOP staff counsel and screen as many as 150 people for hepatitis C.

It’s our challenge to communicate the message that Hepatitis C can affect everyone.”

In addition to offering screenings in city-funded substance abuse treatment facilities, P-HOP educates Philadelphia residents about hepatitis C and links infected patients to care. P-HOP works with a number of local community partners, such as the Philadelphia Housing Authority and the Office of Supportive Housing, to provide education to people in the city’s shelter system, and with the PHMC Care Clinic, to link clients to care (See story on page 9). Experts estimate that 35% of HIV-infected patients have hepatitis C. The two diseases, both blood-borne, often go hand-in-hand.

In the coming year, P-HOP hopes to expand services to target Latino, African immigrant and Caribbean communities and teens. To support these goals, P-HOP worked with PHMC affiliate Health Promotion Council in 2010 to offer hepatitis C education to the Mexican Consulate of Philadelphia. P-HOP staff also continues to develop techniques to reach younger populations. “We are always looking for ways to connect to teens,” says Lamore. “Tattooing among teens is growing in this area and it’s a mode of transmission.”

For more information on hepatitis C or P-HOP events, please contact Teresa Lamore at 215.731.2174 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..