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Hepatitis C Program

Eligibility

Adults and youth in West End Toronto who are living with or are at risk of Hepatitis C infection.

Referrals:

  • We accept referrals from individual service providers, community agencies and self-referrals.
  • TCHP-referral-form-09-22.pdf
  • Self-referrals can also call or attend the Hep C walk-in clinics

Dates & Hours

Queen West Site

168 Bathurst Street, Toronto, Ontario M5V 2R4

Hep C Drop-in Clinic: Thursdays 1 – 4pm

Parkdale Site

1229 Queen Street West, Toronto, Ontario M6K 1L2

Hep C Drop-in Clinic: Tuesdays 1 – 4pm

Contact

Carlee Giffen, Hep C Nurse

437-870-1822

Emily McMillan, Hep C Nurse

416-418-5504

Sarah Innis, Nurse Practitioner

437-757-0395

Bruna Dos Santos, Health Promoter

437-522-6348

The PQW Hep C Team is in partnership with the Toronto Community Hepatitis C Program (TCHCP), a community based, client-centered collaborative care model which provides Hep C supports to individuals who have had difficulty accessing the mainstream health care system. The Hepatitis C program offers education, testing and treatment. TCHCP clients may be facing homelessness, low income supports, and use substances or have in the past.

The TCHCP is a partnership between PQWCHC, Regent Park Community Health Centre, South Riverdale Community Health Centre, and Sherbourne Health

Languages of Service:

  • English
  • Interpretation service available if needed
  • Hep C is an infection of the liver caused by the hep C virus.
  • Over time, the virus can cause liver scarring and injury, which can lead to severe conditions like cirrhosis, liver failure or liver cancer.
  • The virus is passed blood to blood through breaks in the skin or in the lining of the nose and mouth.
  • Treatment cures over 95% of people with Hep C !!
  • Treatment for hep C is usually simple: taking 1-3 pills once daily for 8 to 12 weeks. Hep C medications now carry few side effects, and our team is here to help you manage any concerns you may have with starting and completing treatment.
  • Getting tested is the first step !

Most people with hep C don’t know they have it. You can have hep C for many years before you get symptoms or feel sick. Everyone should be tested !

Activities with a higher risk of hep C:

  • Sharing drug use equipment (needles, cookers, filters, washes, glass pipes, or straws for snorting drugs)
  • Getting a tattoo or piercing with shared or poorly sterilized equipment
  • Sharing personal hygiene items like razors or nail clippers with someone with Hep C
  • Receiving a blood transfusion in Canada prior to 1992, or receiving a blood transfusion in a country where the blood supply isn’t screened enough
  • Hep C isn’t spread easily by sexual contact, but certain sexual practices can a higher risk, like condomless anal sex, or sex when you already have another infection.

If you’ve never been diagnosed with hepatitis C, we can screen for Hep C in 5 to 20 minutes using a drop of blood from a finger prick. If this test is positive, or you know you’ve had hepatitis C in the past, we will collect blood to check for an active infection.