The OpenAI Foundation has committed $100 million to a new public health idea with the Common Health Coalition designed to help state and local health systems address gaps between medical discoveries and the delivery of effective treatments, with hepatitis C as the starting point.
Known as the Breakthroughs to Follow-Through (B2F) Initiative, the program will initially work with state and local partners across eight jurisdictions with the goal of at least doubling hepatitis C cure rates over the next two years, according to the organizations.
The first round of funding will support local partnerships and nonprofit groups implementing the initiative in Massachusetts, Louisiana, Alabama, and Illinois. The Common Health Coalition, a multi-sector healthcare collaboration, will work alongside local health departments, community organizations and other partners to put the strategies into practice.
How the Initiative Will Help the State
Alabama State Health Officer Scott Harris said the initiative gives the state an opportunity to improve outcomes for residents living with hepatitis C. He noted that effective cures are available for most patients, but healthcare systems still struggle to reach people who have not been diagnosed or connected with treatment. Harris said bringing together local partners, data and technology could help identify more patients and connect them with curative therapy.
Four more participating jurisdictions are expected to be announced within the next six months. The initiative will subsequently broaden its scope to include HIV prevention, curable cancers and other health priorities identified by the participating organizations.
The funding will support AI-powered tools designed to identify patients who have dropped out of care, ease administrative workloads, improve coordination between healthcare providers and ultimately strengthen patient outcomes. Participating local organizations will also receive technical assistance, implementation support, opportunities to learn from other jurisdictions, evaluation resources and guidance on the responsible use of AI technologies.
How the Initiative Lines With the Firm’s Mission
Anna Makanju, Head of Civil Society and Philanthropy at the OpenAI Foundation, said the initiative closely reflects the organization’s broader philanthropic mission. She noted that although effective treatments already exist for hepatitis C and other diseases, many patients still fail to receive them. Makanju said the partnership will explore how artificial intelligence, combined with local leadership and implementation expertise, can help healthcare systems overcome those delivery barriers and ultimately improve outcomes for patients considerably.
Plan to Get Rid of Hepatitis C in the Country
The organizations said eliminating hepatitis C in the U.S. will require nothing less than a comprehensive nationwide strategy. They pointed to the bipartisan Cure Hepatitis C Act of 2026 as an example of legislation proposing such an approach.
Common Health Coalition Chair Dave Chokshi said major improvements in public health are achievable if medical discoveries are paired with effective delivery systems. He described hepatitis C as the initiative’s starting point rather than its ultimate focus, adding that the broader objective is to build modern healthcare infrastructure capable of connecting effective treatments with the patients who need them most.
Common Health Launches a Major Hepatitis C Initiative
Common Health Coalition has received a $100 million commitment from the OpenAI Foundation to launch the Breakthroughs to Follow-Through initiative, a public health program designed to use AI to help close gaps between medical breakthroughs and patient care.
The initiative makes Common Health part of a major effort to improve how proven treatments reach patients. The program will initially focus on hepatitis C, where effective cures already exist but many patients remain untreated.
Common Health Targets Hepatitis C Treatment Gaps
For Common Health, hepatitis C provides a clear starting point because highly effective oral treatments can cure more than 95% of patients when they receive appropriate therapy. However, about two-thirds of Americans living with hepatitis C remain untreated, highlighting a significant gap between available medicine and actual care delivery.
