Starting Thursday, May 19, on National Hepatitis Testing Day, you’ll
be able to get tested for hepatitis C at CVS Minute Clinics on Oahu.
Click here for the full list of clinics and hours.
The tests are made possible via a partnership between CVS, the Hawaii State Department of Health, and Hep Free Hawaii.
All nine clinics, which are located within select Longs Drugs stores on Oahu, will offer a finger-prick test instead of a blood draw to check for hepatitis C in persons at risk. Results are available in 20 minutes.
This preventive health service is fully covered by most insurance plans with no out-of-pocket costs for members.
The goal is to better detect hepatitis C, especially among Hawaii’s kupuna, or baby boomers between the ages of 51 and 71, who are among the most at risk.
The virus can lead to liver disease or liver cancer.
Hawaii is the state with the highest rate of liver cancer in the U.S., and the majority of liver cancer cases in Hawaii are caused by viral hepatitis types B and C. An estimated 23,000 persons in Hawaii are currently living with chronic hepatitis C.
Hepatitis C is spread by blood-to-blood exposure, such as sharing injection equipment, but there are also high rates among baby boomers regardless of any known blood exposure. More than one out of four people in Hawaii are baby boomers and should be tested at least once for hepatitis C infection.
“Most people with hepatitis C don’t know that they have it,” said Thaddeus Pham, Viral Hepatitis Prevention Coordinator with the Hawaii State Department of Health. “If undetected, hepatitis C can lead to liver disease, liver cancer, or even death. Since hepatitis C is manageable and, in some cases, even curable, people can prevent liver cancer through early detection. We encourage all baby boomers, as well as other Hawaii residents at risk for hepatitis C, to get tested right away. Getting tested is the first step in liver cancer prevention.”
Click here for the full list of clinics and hours.
The tests are made possible via a partnership between CVS, the Hawaii State Department of Health, and Hep Free Hawaii.
All nine clinics, which are located within select Longs Drugs stores on Oahu, will offer a finger-prick test instead of a blood draw to check for hepatitis C in persons at risk. Results are available in 20 minutes.
This preventive health service is fully covered by most insurance plans with no out-of-pocket costs for members.
The goal is to better detect hepatitis C, especially among Hawaii’s kupuna, or baby boomers between the ages of 51 and 71, who are among the most at risk.
The virus can lead to liver disease or liver cancer.
Hawaii is the state with the highest rate of liver cancer in the U.S., and the majority of liver cancer cases in Hawaii are caused by viral hepatitis types B and C. An estimated 23,000 persons in Hawaii are currently living with chronic hepatitis C.
Hepatitis C is spread by blood-to-blood exposure, such as sharing injection equipment, but there are also high rates among baby boomers regardless of any known blood exposure. More than one out of four people in Hawaii are baby boomers and should be tested at least once for hepatitis C infection.
“Most people with hepatitis C don’t know that they have it,” said Thaddeus Pham, Viral Hepatitis Prevention Coordinator with the Hawaii State Department of Health. “If undetected, hepatitis C can lead to liver disease, liver cancer, or even death. Since hepatitis C is manageable and, in some cases, even curable, people can prevent liver cancer through early detection. We encourage all baby boomers, as well as other Hawaii residents at risk for hepatitis C, to get tested right away. Getting tested is the first step in liver cancer prevention.”
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