Release Date	January 31, 2025
Expiration Date	January 31, 2026
Format	Webcast
CME	1.5 credits
CE	1.5 contact hours

Acknowledgement

This activity is provided by Talem Health and RME Collaborative.
     
This activity is supported by an independent educational grant from Gilead Sciences, Inc.

Credit Available

• Physicians — maximum of 1.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™
• Nurses — 1.5 Contact Hours (0.25 contact hour of pharmacotherapy credit)
• Pharmacists — 1.5 Contact Hours (0.15 CEU)

All other healthcare professionals completing this course will be issued a statement of participation.

Target Audience

This activity is designed specifically for primary care clinicians, nurses, pharmacists, and other members of the healthcare team who serve patients in rural and underserved communities and work in high-impact settings (eg, syringe services and harm reduction facilities, emergency departments, prisons, jails, and shelters where people experience homelessness).

Program Overview

In the United States, HIV and viral hepatitis—including hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV)—are public health threats. Many patients remain undiagnosed, and rural and underserved communities face unique barriers that further complicate care such as limited medical and social services, lack of access to specialists, transportation challenges, and stigma. In this on-demand CME/CE activity, expert faculty will discuss current guidance to improve routine screening and testing practices for HIV and viral hepatitis, as well as factors that place individuals at increased risk for these conditions such as engagement in high-impact settings. Current recommendations for treatment and strategies to improve linkage and engagement in HIV and viral hepatitis care in rural and underserved areas will also be reviewed.

The content for this enduring activity was recorded during a live webinar on November 8, 2024.

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this activity, participants should be better able to: 

• Integrate HIV and viral hepatitis testing recommendations into practice
• Discuss places along the care continuum to improve implementation of routine screening and testing practices for HIV and viral hepatitis
• Identify the unique challenges posed by stigma in rural communities and develop strategies for creating a supportive environment that promotes HIV and viral hepatitis screening, treatment, and linkage to care
• Apply guideline recommendations for HIV and viral hepatitis treatment in rural and underserved settings
• Employ successful models for addressing barriers across the continuum of care for HIV and viral hepatitis utilizing collaborative approaches with community partners and stakeholders to improve access, engagement, and outcomes

Faculty

Cody A. Chastain, MD, MEHP, FIDSA 
Associate Professor of Medicine 
Vanderbilt University School of Medicine 
Attending Physician, Infectious Diseases
Vanderbilt University Medical Center 
Nashville, TN


Ellen F. Eaton, MD, MSPH, FIDSA 
Associate Professor 
Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases 
University of Alabama at Birmingham 
Birmingham, AL


Raven O’Rourke, LCSW, MPH 
Clinical Social Worker/Therapist 
Between the Lakes Therapy 
Mount Juliet, TN
 

Joint Accreditation Statement

In support of improving patient care, Talem Health is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.

Credit Designation Statement

Physician Continuing Medical Education
Talem Health designates this enduring material for a maximum of 1.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Continuing Nursing Education
The maximum number of hours awarded for this Continuing Nursing Education activity is 1.5 contact hours. Designated for 0.25 contact hour of pharmacotherapy credit for Advanced Practice Registered Nurses.

Continuing Pharmacy Education
Talem Health designates this continuing education activity for 1.5 contact hours (0.15 CEU) of the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education.
(Universal Activity Number – JA4008332-0000-25-008-H02-P)
Type of Activity: Application

Disclosure of Conflicts of Interest

Talem Health adheres to the ACCME’s Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Education. Any individuals in a position to control the content of a CE activity, including faculty, planners, reviewers, or others, are required to disclose all relevant financial relationships with ineligible entities (commercial interests). All identified conflicts of interest are thoroughly vetted and mitigated according to Talem Health policy. Talem Health is committed to providing its learners with high quality accredited continuing education activities and related materials that promote improvements or quality in healthcare and not a specific proprietary business interest of an ineligible company.

All relevant financial relationships have been mitigated.

The faculty reported the following relevant financial relationships with ineligible entities related to the educational content of this CE activity:

Faculty

Cody A. Chastain, MD, MEHP, FIDSA, has no relevant financial relationships to disclose.

Ellen F. Eaton, MD, MSPH, FIDSA, has no relevant financial relationships to disclose.

Raven O’Rourke, LCSW, MPH, has no relevant financial relationships to disclose.

Planners, Managers, and Reviewer

The Talem Health planners, managers, and reviewer have nothing to disclose.

Instructions for Participation and Credit

This activity is offered at no cost to participants. To receive CME credit, participants must:

1. Read the CME/CE information, including learning objectives and disclosure statements.
2. Complete the pre-test.
3. View the online activity.
4. Complete the post-test and evaluation form.

A post-test score of 67% or higher is required to obtain credit. Your certificate will be made available for immediate download.

Course Viewing Requirements

Supported Browsers:
Internet Explorer 8.0+ for Windows 2003, Vista, XP, Windows 7, Windows 8.1 and above
Google Chrome 28.0+ for Windows, Mac OS, or Linux
Mozilla Firefox 23.0+ for Windows, Mac OS, or Linux
Safari 6.0+ for Mac OSX 10.7 and above

Supported Phones & Tablets:
Android 4.0.3 and above
iPhone/iPad with iOS 6.1 or above

Disclosure of Unlabeled Use

This educational activity may contain discussion of published and/or investigational uses of agents that are not indicated by the FDA. The planners of this activity do not recommend the use of any agent outside of the labeled indications. The opinions expressed in the educational activity are those of the faculty and do not necessarily represent the views of the planners. Please refer to the official prescribing information for each product for discussion of approved indications, contraindications, and warnings. 

Disclaimer

Participants have an implied responsibility to use the newly acquired information to enhance patient outcomes and their own professional development. The information presented in this activity is not meant to serve as a guideline for patient management. Any procedures, medications, or other courses of diagnosis or treatment discussed or suggested in this activity should not be used by clinicians without evaluation of their patient’s conditions and possible contraindications and/or dangers in use, review of any applicable manufacturer’s product information, and comparison with recommendations of other authorities.

©RME Collaborative, a division of Talem Health, LLC. All Rights Reserved. These materials may be used for personal use only. Any rebroadcast, distribution, or reuse of this presentation or any part of it in any form for other than personal use without the express written permission of Talem Health, LLC is prohibited.

Media

Internet activity

Fee Information

There is no fee for this educational activity.

Contact Information

For questions about this activity, please contact RME Collaborative (a division of Talem Health) at 800-913-9370 or cme@cmeruralhealth.com.