New Mexico: Project Aims to Help Rural Areas Fight Hepatitis C

Every Monday, rural and city doctors and nurses gather at the University of New Mexico Hospital's Project ECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes) -- in person, by telephone or videolink -- to discuss hepatitis C virus (HCV). Launched two years ago, the ECHO network offers participants from 11 agencies the opportunity to discuss patients' diagnoses, tailor treatment options, and provide HCV distance education.

New Mexico has the nation's highest rates of chronic liver disease and cirrhosis mortality, and both can be caused by HCV. Though 2,200 physicians in the state are qualified to treat the virus, only about 20 percent work in rural areas, according to the 2001 New Mexico Physician Survey.

More than 32,000 people are estimated to have HCV in New Mexico, but less than 5 percent have received treatment, said Sanjeev Arora, a UNM School of Medicine professor, HCV expert and ECHO's head. Most people don't know they are infected until they have a blood test, he said.

Before ECHO, UNM Hospital treated only 100-150 HCV patients annually, Arora said. "No matter how much effort we put into it, it was difficult to treat more than that," said Arora. Since ECHO began, it has treated more than 600 patients.

In 2004, ECHO received a three-year, $500,000 grant awarded by the US Health and Human Services Department's Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, said Arora. That same year, the state allocated $900,000 over three years to reimburse expenses, he said.

Back to other news for August 18, 2005