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Dr. Ronald Cirillo helps Deborah Hatfield fill out paperwork at a Florida clinic before running a test to see whether she has hepatitis C. (Daylina Miller/Health News Florida)

When a hepatitis C treatment called Harvoni was released in 2014, Dr. Ronald Cirillo knew it was a big deal.

鈥淚t鈥檚 the reason that dragged me out of retirement!鈥� he said.

Cirillo specialized in treating hepatitis C for more than 30 years in Stamford, Conn., before retiring to Bradenton, Fla. During his time in Connecticut, the only听听for hepatitis C had terrible side effects and didn鈥檛 work well. It cured the viral infection less than half the time. But the newer drugs, Harvoni and Sovaldi, cure almost everybody, with few adverse reactions.

鈥淚n my lifetime, I鈥檝e seen it change from a horrible treatment to a manageable treatment,鈥� Cirillo says.

His mission is finding the patients.

鈥淭he disease is out there,鈥� he said. 鈥淢y job is to get the disease in here, so we can follow them and treat them.鈥�

Last year, Cirillo joined the听听free clinic听in Bradenton, about an hour south of Tampa. The clinic primarily serves uninsured Floridians who fall into what many call a听听in states like Florida that chose not to expand Medicaid. These are people who make less than about $12,000 a year.

Cirillo is trying to test every high-risk patient he encounters. On a recent weekday in the clinic, his assistant pricked a patient鈥檚 finger, and squeezed blood onto the end of a small plastic tube.

鈥淎nd this little measuring tool goes into the blood and solution mix there,鈥� Cirillo said. 鈥淲e are going to time it 鈥� 20 minutes and that鈥檚 it. That鈥檚 the test.鈥�

Nearly 30,000 people in Florida were found to have hepatitis C in 2016. It鈥檚 likely that many more are infected, because the virus can lie dormant for decades.

Cirillo spearheaded a partnership with Harvoni鈥檚 maker, Gilead Sciences, and that partnership has provided treatment to about 100 patients.

鈥淲e treat people without any insurance, that have no hope,鈥� Cirillo said.鈥滻f you qualify to be a patient here, you鈥檒l get tested.鈥�

A 57-year-old patient named Patricia discovered she had hepatitis C a few months ago during a trip to the clinic. NPR and Kaiser Health News are not using her last name because the virus is sometimes associated with illegal IV drug use. It can also spread via sex. Patricia said she鈥檚 not sure how she got it.

鈥淪o, just because of my age, I guess, they went ahead and tested me for it and it blew my mind that I actually had hep C,鈥� she said. 鈥淎nd the levels ended up being relatively high.鈥�

The virus had started to scar and inflame her liver. But she lacked insurance and a job; the $94,000 Harvoni treatment would have been out of reach if she hadn鈥檛 had financial help from the drugmaker.

鈥淚 would never have been able to afford that treatment,鈥� she said. 鈥淣ever.鈥�

Staff at the clinic help patients fill out the complicated application from Gilead. Only patients who don鈥檛 have insurance, have been drug-free for at least six months and who meet income requirements are eligible.

Patricia was able to get the treatment 鈥� one pill a day for 12 weeks 鈥� and will be tested again in three months to determine whether she is free of hepatitis C.

鈥淗ad they not discovered it and gotten me onto the program 鈥� really, who knows?鈥� she said.

This story was produced with the听听and听.

黑料吃瓜网 News鈥� coverage of prescription drug development, costs and pricing is supported in part by the .