These numbers demonstrate that with guidance and support, PCPs who have never previously treated HCV can achieve the same rate of cure as a specialist (95-99%).
On March 5, 2020, the West Virginia Hepatitis Academic Mentoring Partnership (WVHAMP) held its first training in Bluefield, WV. Since then, ably supported by the West Virginia Rural Health Association, we have held quarterly full-day trainings, providing primary care and addiction care providers with ongoing guidance to manage West Virginians with hepatitis C from diagnosis to cure. To date, WVHAMP Scholars have submitted almost 900 consultations, achieving a 98.3% cure rate that is comparable to the 95-99% rate expected of specialists.
As our state now has “the most worrisome HIV outbreak in the US” according to the CDC, we are now offering PCPs the knowledge and guidance to diagnose and treat HIV.
February 28th, 2023
These numbers demonstrate that with guidance and support, PCPs who have never previously treated HCV can achieve the same rate of cure as a specialist (95-99%).
I am Dr. Letitia Tierney, an Internal Medicine and Pediatric Physician who currently serves as a Primary Care Physician in Charleston, WV. I am also an Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine at West Virginia University. I received my undergraduate degree and my medical degree from West Virginia University. I also earned a Law Degree from the George Washington University School of Law and a Certificate in Public Health Leadership from the Kennedy School of Public Health at Harvard University. I completed an Internal Medicine/Pediatrics Residency at West Virginia University and Charleston Area Medical Center, serving as Chief Resident in my final year of Residency.I have extensive Public Health experience serving as the Commissioner for the Bureau of Public Health and West Virginia State Health Officer under Governor Earl Ray Tomblin. I was born and raised in Charleston and am glad that I am able to provide health care in Kanawha County. I am also proud of the work we have all done to bring Hepatitis C care to West Virginians and look forward to a future free of Hepatitis C for everyone.
I accepted a
position at Cabin Creek Health Systems in January 2018. I work in a small
clinic inside the Kanawha Charleston Health Department. The clinic was started
in an attempt to see folks who came through the Harm Reduction/Syringe Exchange
Program. There was a need for primary care services including care for chronic
diseases, birth control, treatment for abscesses, sexually transmitted
diseases, and other infectious diseases including HIV, Hep B and Hep C. I was
shocked at the number of patients who tested positive for hepatitis C.
I had the
opportunity to participate in the first WVHAMP training in March 2020. Since
then, I have 29 patients that have finished treatment and have been cured, 7 in
current treatment, and have at least 5 that are in the process of getting started
with treatment. It is so gratifying to see the patients and tell them they no
longer have hepatitis C because they have been cured.
Most of the
patients I see have contracted hepatitis C through injection drug use.
Addiction, a chronic medical disease, is cunning, baffling, and powerful. It is
often accompanied with other physical, mental, and social problems. While there
are currently so many programs and efforts to treat patients with substance use
disorder, there is still so much work to be done.
In addition
to working, I have served on the board of Hospice of Southern WV since 2005. I
live near Beckley, am married, have two grown sons, three grandchildren, and a
rescue dog named Ladybug. I enjoy reading, gardening and have recently been
taking painting classes.
WVHAMP is a free telementoring partnership designed for primary and addiction care providers to link with disease experts for hepatitis C training. WVHAMP is designed to build a mentorship platform that is accessible to primary and addiction care providers caring for high-risk individuals throughout West Virginia, so that individuals with chronic hepatitis C can be cared for and cured in their own community.
Each Cohort will have a full-day (WVHAMP 1) session followed by a half-day (WVHAMP 2) session approximately 6 months later. Monthly evening webinars will occur every 2 months on the 2nd or 3rd Tuesday.
