The prison population is particularly prone to hepatitis C, which is transmitted largely through infected blood and can lead to liver cirrhosis and cancer. Dr. Stephanie Zepeda, the director of pharmacy services for UTMB Correctional Managed Care, which oversees treatment of inmates, said she provided medication therapy for about 400 hepatitis C patients per month, at a cost to the state of about $2.8 million per year. “Ultimately, it’s going to be much like HIV,” said Dr. Owen Murray, the vice president of UTMB’s Correctional Managed Care program. “You’re just going to have to acknowledge you have this disease in prison and that it costs a lot to treat.” The article also appears in the Texas Tribune.