End Hep C SF Community Navigator Program
About the Program
In 2018, End Hep C SF launched a pilot program funding community-based organizations (CBOs) to engage people with lived and living experience as advocates for individuals living with or at risk for hepatitis C. Participants received ongoing training and support through regular check-ins. Three agencies received funding to support an initial 6-month cohort, enhancing program offerings and providing financial incentives for navigators.
Now, in its ninth cohort, the program continues to thrive. GLIDE and the San Francisco AIDS Foundation currently partner with End Hep C SF to host and mentor community navigators.
Participants bring lived experience, such as being cured of hepatitis C, past or current substance use, or navigating housing instability. The program empowers them to use their expertise to engage their networks, inspire others, and provide support to others.
Program Design
End Hep C SF provides biannual training to new cohorts, covering topics such as hepatitis C, motivational interviewing, basic data collection, cultural competency, and harm reduction and overdose response. Throughout each program cycle, agency staff hold weekly check-ins with their cohort and provide supplemental training tailored to the group’s needs. End Hep C SF brings the full cohort together for community-building events that offer ongoing training, strengthen connections, and celebrate achievements.
Theory of Change
End Hep C SF’s Community Navigator Program is built on the belief that those with lived and living experience are uniquely equipped to drive hepatitis C elimination efforts. This theory of change outlines the program’s core strategies, highlighting how training, mentorship, and community engagement is critical to hepatitis C elimination. This document provides a roadmap for sustaining and scaling the program’s success.
