Cadre-C

Expansion of HCV screening practices in community settings

The Cadre-C project is a 12-month research project led by CAPAHC and funded by the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC). This project is part of an effort to improve access to hepatitis C (HCV) screening for populations most at risk of contracting the virus by supporting a decentralized, community worker-led screening model, consistent with the concept of micro-elimination.

The primary objective of Cadre-C is to demonstrate the relevance, feasibility and safety of empowering community workers to provide rapid HCV screening tests to the people they serve, directly in their homes or social settings.

The project is based on close collaboration between CAPAHC and four Montreal community organizations working with populations at increased risk of exposure to HCV:

• Gap-Vies (people living with HIV/AIDS)
• Dopamine (people who use drugs)
• IHCT — Indigenous Health Center of Tiohtiá:ke (indigenous communities)
• Open Door (homeless people and indigenous people in Montreal)

Between June 2024 and March 2025, the staff of these organizations benefited from a two-part training program:

• Theoretical training offered by CAPAHC on essential HCV-related knowledge: transmission, prevention, screening, treatment and stigma-related issues.
• Technical training provided by a specialized team from the Centre hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal (CHUM), covering the practice of rapid screening (sampling techniques, test management, interpretation of results, referral protocols).

Following this training, community workers are now able to carry out rapid HCV screening tests on the populations they serve, within the specific framework of this research project.

The aim of this project is to document the public health benefits of such an approach, to assess the associated logistical and ethical issues, and to argue in favor of a legal expansion of community screening practices to better reach those furthest from traditional health services.