In 1998, the Veterans Health Administration recognized the urgent need to address hepatitis C in veterans and appointed San Francisco as one of two Centers of Excellence (SFCOE) for Hepatitis C in the VA. The charge of the SFCOE was to develop treatment recommendations to standardize the care of veterans with HCV disease, to develop a web site for both veterans and VA providers about hepatitis C and related topics such as liver transplantation, hepatitis B and hepatitis immunizations. With the Center in Miami, the SFCOE was also responsible for organizing provider conferences on a variety of aspects of hepatitis C, including discussion of issues that are particularly important to veterans with hepatitis C, namely the incorporation of mental health and substance abuse professionals in patient management.
The San Francisco Hepatitis C Resource Center (HCRC) was established in 2002 but its origins go back more than a decade. The San Francisco Veterans Administration Medical Center (SFVAMC) has been on the forefront of clinical research in viral hepatitis since the discovery of the hepatitis C virus in 1989. Investigators at SFVAMC have worked closely with biotechnology companies, many of which are based in the San Francisco Bay Area, to develop new therapies to treat hepatitis C and to develop new strategies for diagnosing past and active hepatitis C infection. Through clinical trials conducted at the SFVAMC, veterans have had access to hepatitis C therapies such as interferon plus ribavirin, pegylated interferon and more recently pegylated interferon plus ribavirin, often many years before these treatments have been generally available by prescription. The clinical trials group, under the leadership of Stephen Rossi Pharm D, is currently at the forefront of developing small molecule inhibitors of hepatitis C replication. The SFVAMC was the site of the first support group in San Francisco for patients with liver disease, under the supervision of Marian Kerbleski RN, in collaboration with the American Liver Foundation. Researchers at SFVAMC/UCSF receive funding from the Medical Research Service of the VA, from the National Institutes of Health and from the private sector.
Community Advisory Board--Mission Statement
The Community Advisory Board of the VA San Francisco Hepatitis C Resource Center is comprised of veteran and non-veteran volunteers concerned that our nation's veterans receive optimum health care. The CAB represents the interests of veterans; offers perspective and guidance in bridging the gap between veterans' needs and Veterans' Administration providers; and works to enhance the VA's best efforts to provide veterans the highest quality health care available.
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