Posted on February 03, 2015
Source: Otis Sarpong Apau
Hello! My name is Otis Sarpong Apau. I am a physician from Ghana and am currently enrolled in the MPH program at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Having managed many hepatitis C and HIV cases in Ghana, I came to the firm conclusion that preventing infectious diseases in resource-poor settings is the best option for managing these diseases when compared to individual clinical management. Therefore, I decided to acquire an MPH degree to develop the knowledge and skills I need to help combat these diseases. I am fortunate to be part of the wonderful team at Generation Tomorrow that strives tirelessly to help the Baltimore community.
I am currently assigned to the Johns Hopkins Emergency Department to participate in its new voluntary hepatitis C testing and counseling program. The main aim of the program is to educate and test patients that report to the emergency room. For some patients, the emergency room might be their only point of contact with a health facility due to their lack of health insurance. Our program hopes to identify patients who are at risk of acquiring hepatitis C and link them to treatment irrespective of their health insurance status.
I hope to raise hepatitis C awareness in the Baltimore community through Generation Tomorrow and to bring hope to hepatitis C patients who are seen at the Hopkins Emergency Department.
