The University of Chicago Medicine has received a $6.2 million grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to fight the hepatitis C virus (HCV) across the city, the Chicago Tribune reports.

The grant aims to train nearly 200 primary care providers and 30 community health centers over the next four years on how to test and treat hep C. Their goal is to screen more than 18,000 Chicagoans for HCV each year.

After patients are tested, the funding will also help set up a video conference system for clinicians to participate in case reviews and discussions about patients who test HCV positive.

Grant money will also go toward facilitating better surveillance and data tracking for hep C, as well as a social media campaign to raise awareness about the liver disease.  

According to health officials, out of the nearly 3.2 million Americans with hep C, up to 70,000 are living in Chicago. About half are unaware they have the virus.