HEP C free - communicare will implement HEP C free, an integrated care pilot targeting individuals with substance use disorder (SUD), serious mental illness (SMI), or CO-occurring disorders (COD),…

The Department of Health and Human Services Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration awarded Communicare $2,697,500 on September 30, 2025, under the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Projects of Regional and National Significance program (CFDA 93.243) to implement HEP C FREE, an integrated care pilot targeting adults 18 and older with substance use disorder, serious mental illness, or co-occurring disorders, particularly those experiencing or at risk of homelessness.

The project delivers low-barrier same-day hepatitis C virus and HIV testing, treatment, and wraparound services across a six-county region in North Mississippi (Calhoun, Lafayette, Marshall, Panola, Tate, and Yalobusha counties). The integrated service delivery model includes community coalition engagement, comprehensive substance use and serious mental illness treatment with medication-assisted therapy, physical health care, peer support, suicide prevention, naloxone distribution, and care coordination for housing and social services. Services are delivered via in-person and telehealth platforms. Specific objectives include testing 1,500 individuals for HCV over the period, treating and curing 150, providing whole-person care coordination to 100 percent of those testing positive, reaching 3,000 individuals per outreach campaign across 36 total campaigns, achieving 80 percent engagement in peer support services, and ensuring 100 percent of those in need are screened for substance use and serious mental illness and referred to appropriate care.

The recipient, North Mississippi Commission On Mental Illness & Retardation (doing business as Communicare), is a non-profit behavioral health organization based in Oxford, Mississippi. Performance runs through September 29, 2027, with place of performance at Oxford, MS 38655.

HEP C free - communicare will implement HEP C free, an integrated care pilot targeting individuals with substance use disorder (SUD), serious mental illness (SMI), or CO-occurring disorders (COD), particularly those experiencing or at risk of homelessness, across a six-county region in north mississippi. The project will provide low-barrier same-day testing, treatment, and wraparound services for hepatitis C virus (HCV), with the goal of curing HCV, improving behavioral and physical health, and enhancing housing stability for the most underserved individuals in the region. The population of focus includes adults (18+) who have SUD/SMI/COD and are at high risk for HCV infection due to homelessness, drug use, untreated mental illness, or CO-occurring conditions. This population is primarily low-income, uninsured, and disproportionately impacted by structural barriers to care. The catchment area-calhoun, lafayette, marshall, panola, tate, and yalobusha counties-has higher-than-average poverty, overdose deaths, mental illness, and hepatitis C prevalence. The HEP C free project will use an integrated service delivery model that includes: community coalition engagement; same-day HCV and HIV testing and treatment; comprehensive SUD and SMI treatment including mat; physical health care; peer support; suicide prevention; naloxone distribution; and care coordination for housing and social services. Services will be delivered via in-person and telehealth platforms, ensuring widespread access. Some project goals and measurable objectives include: test 500 individuals annually for HCV (1,500 total). Treat and cure 50 individuals annually for HCV (150 total). Provide whole-person care coordination to 100% of those testing positive. Reach 3,000 individuals per outreach campaign, with 36 campaigns total. Achieve 80% engagement in peer support services. Ensure 100% of those in need are screened for SUD/SMI and referred to appropriate care. Communicare will leverage its existing ccbhc infrastructure, four clia-waived labs, robust EHR system, and longstanding partnerships with state agencies and local stakeholders. Outcome data will be reported quarterly through public channels, with participation in all samhsa-required cross-site evaluations and peer learning collaboratives. This pilot will serve as a scalable model for HCV elimination that addresses the intersection of infectious disease, behavioral health, and homelessness in underserved communities.