Hepatitis C is a liver infection caused by the hepatitis C virus (HCV). HCV can cause scarring (cirrhosis) of the liver and even liver cancer. The liver is the largest organ inside the body and works as a filter, factory and storage tank. The liver helps with digestion and fighting disease. HCV is spread when blood that contains HCV gets into your blood stream.
In the United States, injecting drugs with needles, syringes or other injecting equipment used by a person who has HCV is the most common way to get infected. For a minority of people, hepatitis C is a short-term illness, but for most who become infected develop a long-term, chronic infection. HCV is the only viral infection curable with medication.
People with newly acquired HCV infection usually are without symptoms or have mild symptoms that are unlikely to prompt a visit to a healthcare professional. When symptoms do occur, they can include fever, right sided abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting. Some people may notice their skin looking yellow (jaundice). A blood test can determine if a person has been exposed to the HCV virus (antibody screening test), while another test indicates if there is a chronic infection (HCV RNA viral load). Several types of healthcare workers can effectively provide care for people infected with HCV, including internal medicine and family medicine physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants and pharmacists. Over 90% of people infected with HCV can be cured of their infection, with 8–12 weeks of safe, effective, well-tolerated pills. Once cured, people with liver scarring (cirrhosis) need life-long medical follow-up. People at risk of reinfection need long-term repeat HCV RNA retesting and help with preventing reinfection.
For more information visit www.cdc.gov/hepatitis/hcv and HCVguidelines.org
For HCV testing, please talk to your primary care provider
or visit one of the HCV testing sites listed here
Clinics which Provide Hepatitis C Treatment in Rhode Island
| Clinic Name | Healthcare worker or Clinician name (s) | Clinic Location | Clinic Contact Info | Clinic Website |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lifespan Infectious Diseases Clinic | Karen Tashima, MD Jennie Johnson, MD Curt Beckwith, MD Marguerite Neill, MD Joseph Garland, MD Jerome Larkin, MD Maria Mileno, MD Donald Rice, MD Natasha Rybak, MD Martha Sanchez, MD | 180 Corliss St, 3rd Floor Providence, RI 02904 | 401-793-2928 | https://www.lifespan.org/centers-services/infectious-diseases |
| Open Door Health | Philip A. Chan, MD, MS Michaela Maynard, NP | 7 Central Street, Providence, RI 02907 | 401-648-4700 | https://odhpvd.org/ |
| University Gastroenterology | Thomas Sepe, MD, FAASLD, FACG, AGAF | 33 Staniford Street Providence, RI 02905 148 West River Street, Suite 3, Providence, RI 02904 1407 South County Trail, Building 4, East Greenwich, RI 02818 110 Clock Tower Square Portsmouth, RI 02874 (16 satellite locations) | 401-421-8800 401-421-6306 401-886-4040 401-293-5600 | https://www.universitygi.com/health-topics#hepatitis_c |
| Thundermist Health Center | Sapna Chowdhry, MD Michael Poshkus, MD | 450 Clinton Street Woonsocket, RI 02895 186 Providence Street, West Warwick, RI 02893 | 401-767-4100 401-615-2800 | https://www.thundermisthealth.org/ |
| Gastroenterology Associates | Brett Kalmowitz, MD | 44 West River Street Providence, RI 02904 333 School Street, Suite 303, Pawtucket, RI 02860 905 Pontiac Avenue Cranston, RI 02910 1 Commerce Street, 2nd Floor Lincoln, RI 02865 | 401-274-4800 | https://newenglandgastro.com/ |
| Providence Community Health Center | Vinod Thomas, MD | 40 Candace Street Providence, RI 02905 | 401-415-4972 | https://www.providencechc.org/ |
| Tri-County Health Center | Will Giordano-Perez, MD, AAHIVS, EMBA Elizabeth Langthorn, MD, MPH Nicole Coggins, APRN Rose Tilus, FNP Edmundo Smith, FNP Maria Gilman, NP Karen LaChapelle, RNP | 1126 Hartford Avenue Johnston, RI 02919 | 401-519-1940 | https://www.tricountyri.org/ |
| Blackstone Valley Community Health Care | Charlie Imonah, DNP | 39 East Avenue Pawtucket, RI 02860 | 401-722-0081 | https://www.bvchc.org/ |
| Gastrointestinal Medicine Associates, Inc. | Robert Bierwirth, MD | 1150 Reservoir Avenue, Ste 201, Cranston, RI 02920 | 401-943-1303 | https://gimedri.com/ |