Building resilience takes an integrated approach

Meet James*

James had been a patient at the CUPS Health Clinic since 2012. The CUPS Health Clinic provides free health care and mental wellness services for adults, children and families in Calgary facing the challenges of poverty and trauma. It had been a consistent resource for him for many years.

It was in 2019 when James was tested and diagnosed with hepatitis C. Having faced the challenges of poverty and trauma for a number of hard years, the diagnosis was a wake up call for James.

He wanted to get better. And CUPS was there to help.

What is Hepatitis C?

Hepatitis C is a liver infection caused by the hepatitis C virus. Hepatitis C can range from a mild illness lasting a few weeks to a serious, long-term illness. Hepatitis C is often described as “acute,” meaning a new infection, or “chronic,” meaning long-term infection.

Acute hepatitis C: occurs within the first six months after someone is exposed to the hepatitis C virus. Hepatitis C can be a short-term illness, but for most people, acute infection leads to chronic infection.
Chronic hepatitis C: can be a lifelong infection if left untreated. Chronic hepatitis C can cause serious health problems, including liver damage, cirrhosis (scarring of the liver), liver cancer and even death. With proper treatment, Hepatitis C can be cured.

Knowing that more than three-quarters of people who become infected with the hepatitis C virus will develop a chronic infection, James’ primary care provider at the Health Clinic referred him to the CUPS Liver Clinic for further assessment and treatment.

What is the Liver Clinic?

The CUPS Liver Clinic provides health care for Hepatitis B/C, cirrhosis, liver disease, and STBBIs for low-income earners. Their services include:

Consultation with an infectious disease specialist and liver clinic registered nurse
Disease monitoring and treatment
Vaccination
Education

Creating an Integrated Care Plan
As a first step in his treatment, James’ care-coordinator worked to ensure he had proper medical coverage to support his treatment. With this in place, James started hepatitis C virus treatment and after 12 weeks of treatment, finally some good news: he had successfully cleared the virus. But his treatment didn’t end there.

Like many clients who come through the doors at CUPS, James’s care plan was integrated: it considered his whole situation, beyond hepatitis C. After chatting with James about his past and current health, his care-coordinator was able to connect James with the OAT program to support his substance use disorder and help James achieve sobriety. They also vaccinated him to prevent further health complications and worked with a variety of CUPS teams to help get him covered under the Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped program (AISH).

Finally, James felt like he was on the right path. His health was improving and he had steady income to support himself. The integrated care approach allowed James to not only feel more in control of his health, but to work towards gaining more independence overall.

Today, James is building resilience for life.

*Names changed for anonymity.

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