Seed funding will support local collaborations and nonprofits in Alabama, Illinois, Louisiana and Massachusetts.
The OpenAI Foundation has committed $100 million to a new public health initiative with the Shared Health Alliance to bridge the gaps between disease detection and treatment delivery, starting with hepatitis C.
The program, called the Breakthroughs to Follow (B2F) initiative, will initially seek to help state and local partners at least double hepatitis C cure rates over the next two years across eight participating states and local jurisdictions.
Seed funding will support local collaborations and nonprofits in Alabama, Illinois, Louisiana and Massachusetts. The Joint Health Alliance will work with local health departments, community organizations and other partners to implement the program.
The initiative will fund the deployment of AI-powered tools designed to identify patients who have exited care, reduce administrative workloads, enhance care coordination, and improve patient outcomes. Support will also include technical assistance, implementation expertise, cross-jurisdictional learning and program evaluation.
“Effective treatments for hepatitis C and other diseases already exist, but many people still do not receive them,” said Anna Makango, head of civil society and philanthropy at the OpenAI Foundation. She said the initiative will explore how artificial intelligence, implementation expertise and local leadership can help address gaps in healthcare delivery.
Four additional participating jurisdictions are expected to be announced within six months. The program is also planned to expand beyond hepatitis C to include HIV prevention, curable cancers and other public health priorities.
Alabama State Health Officer Scott Harris said the initiative will help the state identify people who have not yet been diagnosed or connect them to treatment and support their access to treatment.
The organizations said a comprehensive national strategy is needed to eliminate hepatitis C in the United States, pointing to the bipartisan Hepatitis C Cures Act of 2026 as one proposed approach.
Dave Chokshi, president of the Joint Health Alliance, said hepatitis C is the initiative’s top target, with broader efforts focused on strengthening the infrastructure needed to connect current medical advances to patients who need care.
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