Expanding access to hepatitis C treatment by improving linkage to care: Establishing a cascade of care and active linkage program for the South Karelia region in Finland

If no contact information was found, persons using services relevant based on the missing individuals' medical records (opioid substitution therapy or needle exchange programs) were utilized to reach the missing individuals or forward the request to them. All health service providers (primary care, specialized hospital care, substance addiction, and social services) in the region were notified, enrolled in the program, and trained to provide information about the patients' right to get tested for their HCV antigen status as well as general information about the disease. Seventy‐four patients experienced a spontaneous recovery. 1 TABLEClinical and demographic characteristics Total HCV antigen positive 539 Male gender 366 (67.9%) Median age 40.7 Genotype n = 118 1a 25 (21.2) 1b 20 (15.6) 1a/1b 6 (5.1) 1 not specified 12 (10.2) 2 14 (11.9) 3 40 (33.9) 3a/1b 1 (0.01) Fibroscan n = 42 F0 10 F1 15 F2 7 F3 7 F4 3 Treatment initiated 97/539 (18.0) Spontaneous recovery 74/539 (13.6) Received SVR12 81/94 (86.2) Lost to follow‐up 13/94 (13.8) Note: % given in parenthesis. [...]at least 284 individuals were confirmed to be HCV RNA positive and remained untreated at the time.