LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Amber Bow knew she was sick but didn't get treatment for hepatitis c for more than two year. Bow says she didn't realize how the disease was affecting her health.  After eight weeks of treatment, Bow is doing better. 

“You don’t know how bad it makes you feel until you are well again,” Bow said. “I am getting my senses back and remembering what it’s like to live without the virus. You feel good when you get up in the morning.”

Sunday, July 28 is World Hepatitis Day and the University of Louisville Hospital along with various community partners are offering free hepatitis c screenings at various locations around Louisville. 

Kentucky has one of the highest hepatitis c infection rates in the United States. Hepatitis C is a liver infection caused by the blood-borne hepatitis c virus (HCV).  Most people become infected by sharing needles. About half of people with HCV don't know they're infected, mainly because they have no symptoms, which can take decades to appear.

Barbara Cave, a family nurse practitioner at UofL Hospital said, "Today, hepatitis C is easily curable and relatively inexpensive to treat. Common treatments for hep C are one or three pills, once a day, for 8-12 weeks – with minimal side effects. It is covered by almost all insurance plans, including Medicare and Medicaid. Cost and side effects are no longer an excuse to defer treatment.”

The free screenings will be offered from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Sunday. The test is easy, a simple finger prick and results are ready in 20 minutes.  There will be experts at each site to answer your questions about hepatitis C.

Here is a list of the free sites:

  • Mall St. Matthews (2 sites within the mall), 5000 Shelbyville Road, Louisville, KY 40207
  • CVS Pharmacy, 1002 Spring St., Jeffersonville, IN 47130
  • CVS Pharmacy, 2169 Midland Trail, Shelbyville, KY 40065
  • Southwest Family YMCA, 2800 Fordhaven Road, Louisville, KY 40214
  • Walgreens, 5900 Timber Ridge Dr., Prospect, KY 40059
  • Walgreens, 12101 Shelbyville Rd., Middletown, KY 40243
  • Walgreens, 2360 Stony Brook Dr., Louisville, KY 40220
  • Walgreens, 6620 Bardstown Rd., Louisville, KY 40291
  • Walgreens, 4310 Outer Loop, Louisville, KY 40219
  • Walgreens, 152 N. Buckman St., Shepherdsville, KY 40165
  • Walgreens, 11099 Highway 44E, Mount Washington, KY 40047
  • Walgreens, 807 S. Highway 53, LaGrange, KY 40031
  • Walgreens, 200 E. Broadway, Louisville, KY 40202

If untreated, hepatitis c can cause major complications including cirrhosis of the liver or liver cancer.