Posts Tagged ‘HIV Status’

ALERT and INFORM Get “Equal” Time with Jack Mackenroth

Friday, March 21st, 2014

Staffers from our ALERT and INFORM teams (both programs are part of our Regional Prevention Initiative) performed HIV testing at SUNY Purchase’s “HIV Equals” event on March 14th. Claribel and Bryn went there on our behalf, and tested 80 people that day in just 5 hours–amazing! HIV Equals is a new social media/photo campaign created by former Project Runway contestant and HIV activist Jack Mackenroth and celebrity photographer Thomas Evans. HIV Equals works with the  World Health Clinicians located in Norwalk, CT. “Our campaign’s focus is to encourage knowing your HIV status as well as remove the stigma attached to individuals living with the HIV virus,” they say.

RuPaul’s Drag Race contestant Gia Gunn and “The Needle Prick Project” founder Tyler Curry were also there. (Claribel, Bryn – we’re so jealous you got to go!)

Find out more about the campaign at  www.HIVequal.org.

Friday, Feb 7 is National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day

Thursday, February 6th, 2014

National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day infographicNational Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (NBHAAD) is an HIV testing and treatment community mobilization initiative for Blacks in the United States and across the Diaspora, held on February 7th.

There are four specific focal points: Get Educated, Get Tested, Get Involved, and Get Treated.

Visit www.nationalblackaidsday.org to see profiles on spokespeople, links to events all over the country, and more facts like this disturbing one at left.

Also, make sure to attend the local event in Yonkers. Join the Sharing Community and the Yonkers Providers Task Force from12 to 2pm at the Larkin Riverfront Library, 1 Larkin Plaza for a local observance. Refreshments provided.

ARCS Training Schedule Update

Friday, September 30th, 2011

At this time, there are no scheduled upcoming trainings at the ARCS RTC.

Please check back in November 2011 for new training dates for the months of November 2011 through March 2012.

If you would like to be informed in advance of upcoming training dates as they are scheduled, please send your email address to dmay@arcs.org .

Thank you for your continued support and please pass the word on.

-ARCS’ Education & Prevention Department-
Deborah May – Training Superviser
Barbara Bennet – Assistant Director of Education & Prevention

National HIV Testing Day is Monday, June 27th!

Thursday, June 2nd, 2011

National HIV Testing DayIt’s almost here: June 27, 2011, the seventeenth National HIV Testing Day (NHTD), weeks after the thirtieth anniversary of the CDC’s announcement of a strange new disease syndrome. We know it now as AIDS and the virus that causes it as HIV.

NAPWA founded National HIV Testing Day (NHTD) in 1995 in response to the HIV epidemic’s steady growth – especially in marginalized communities like people of color and men who have but also in middle-income neighborhoods where people thought, “it doesn’t happen here.” All Americans need to know they should Take the Test, Take Control, at least once a year. And we should also know that people with HIV who are in treatment with HAART drugs are significantly less at risk for passing their virus on the others than people with HIV who are not in treatment. Test-and-treat is not the whole answer to ending the epidemic, but it’s an indispensable first step.

ARCS is participating in Nationial HIV Testing Day with these events:

Orange County:

ARCS’ Project Reach Out is collaborating with a number of Newburgh-based agencies for a National HIV Testing Day event from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm at the corner of Johnston St. and Broadway, outside the Newburgh Ministry. FREE food, FREE fun, and FREE HIV testing. As always, HIV tests are confidential and the results are available in 20 minutes. Hosted by Project Outreach, Planned Parenthood, the Stephen Saunders Residence, TEAM Newburgh, Newburgh Ministry, H.O.N.O.R. ehg, OraSure, Hudson Health Plan and Fidelis. For more information, call Kristina at (845) 522-5756.

Sullivan County:

ARCS is collaborating with the Sullivan AIDS Task Force to create an HIV testing event on Tuesday, June 28th. More details to follow, or call Ginny at (845) 791-8871 ext 15.

Westchester County:

ARCS’ CHAPS program for young men is hosting an HIV Testing Event and Movie Night on June 27th at the MOSAIC Center, 137 South 4th Avenue in Mount Vernon! CHAPS focuses on young minority men who have sex with men but all are welcome to attend this event. See the full schedule below.

10:00am – 11:30 am – Testing available; light breakfast.

11:30am – 3:00 pm – Testing continues; healthy snacks will be served such as granola, fruit snacks, trail mix, etc.

5:00pm – 7:30 pm– Dinner and a Movie. Check back here to find out which DVD the group will be watching!

For more information, please call Santo at (914) 699-1025 ext 103.

New HIV Policies Become Law

Tuesday, August 3rd, 2010

From a press release issued by Richard N. Gottfried, NYS Assembly:

“NEWS FROM Assembly Health Committee Chair

Richard N. Gottfried

822 Legislative Office Building, Albany, NY 12248 – Tel: 518-455-4941

250 Broadway, #2232, New York, NY 10007 – Tel: 212-312-1492

GottfrR@assembly.state.ny.us
Contact:
Ryan Streeter 518-455-4941
StreeterR@assembly.state.ny.us

New HIV Policies Become Law

PATERSON SIGNS BILLS ON HIV TESTING AND SYRINGE DISPOSAL

New laws to promote HIV testing and safe disposal of syringes were signed by Governor Paterson on Friday.  Both bills were sponsored by Assembly Health Committee chair Richard N. Gottfried and Senate Health Committee chair Thomas K. Duane.

The HIV testing bill (A. 11487, S. 8227) comes after several years of negotiations among legislators, community organizations, and health care providers.  Many of the provisions are taken from bills drafted by Gottfried, Duane, and the State Department of Health.

“Many HIV-positive New Yorkers do not know they are infected, so they don’t get treatment. It is critically important for them and for public health that we get more people tested,” said Gottfried. “This landmark legislation will simplify the process for HIV testing, require the offering of HIV testing in many health care settings, and thus save lives.”

The syringe safe disposal bill will encourage safe disposal of used syringes by barring the arrest of a person for possessing a legally-obtained syringe, even if it contains a leftover microscopic amount of a controlled substance.  It had been submitted to the Legislature by Governor Paterson.

“Throwing an infected syringe into the gutter, out of fear of prosecution for possession of a trace of substance, increases the danger of someone getting HIV or other serious infection from a needle stick,” said Assembly Member Richard N. Gottfried, Chair of the Assembly Health Committee and sponsor of the bill (A. 8396-A, S. 5620-A).  “Stopping the arrest of drug users for possessing a used needle is a common sense way to protect public health and safety.”

One in four New Yorkers living with HIV are unaware of their status.  Approximately 50 to 70 percent of new infections are caused by people who are unaware of their status.  Communities of color and young MSM (men who have sex with men) are disproportionately impacted.

“Offering HIV testing to everyone is a policy that works,” Gottfried said.  “When the New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation (HHC) began to routinely offer testing to all patients in many of its hospitals and clinics, the number of people tested for HIV increased 116%.”

“I thank Governor David Paterson, Senator Thomas K. Duane, Assembly Members Darryl Towns, Nettie Mayersohn, and Annette Robinson, and the HIV/AIDS service community for their support for the HIV testing legislation,” Gottfried added. Among the supporters of the bill are: the City of New York, GMHC (Gay Men’s Health Crisis), Harlem United, the Latino Commission on AIDS, the National Black Leadership Commission on AIDS, Inc., the New York State Academy of Family Physicians, the New York AIDS Coalition, and the New York State Nurses Association.

SUMMARY OF EXPANDED HIV TESTING LAW

·  Oral rather than written consent may be used for rapid HIV testing (i.e., a test that produces results in less than one hour), except in prisons or jails.

·  Allows an HIV test consent to be included in a “general” consent or a form that covers multiple procedures.  A separate HIV consent form would no longer be required.  Someone who does not want to be tested would check off a box to decline.

·  Consent would be “durable.”  Once a patient consents, the provider or clinic would not have to get a new consent or repeat giving pre-test information on later visits.

·  Pre-consent and post-test information would be simplified and can be provided in writing (not requiring spoken counseling).

·  Testing would be required to be offered to patients aged 13 to 64 in hospital emergency rooms, inpatient care, and primary care in all settings (including physician offices), with some exceptions.

·  When a patient tests HIV positive, the provider must offer to arrange for referral for treatment.

·  Where a health care worker is potentially exposed to HIV by a patient, and the patient lacks capacity to consent to being tested, testing may be ordered without the patient’s consent.

·  Public health agencies will be able to use information obtained through HIV name reporting for monitoring consistency and quality of follow-up treatment.

·  If a patient dies, HIV-related information could be provided to the executor or administrator of the estate as necessary for estate administration.”

Pump Up Check Up: A Health Event for Guys

Monday, April 5th, 2010

Hey guys, join ARCS and the Westchester MSM Coalition for our next “Pump Up Check Up” event on Monday, May 3, 2010 at Flex Appeal gym in Mount Vernon, NY. This event brings an array of extremely vital yet quick and easy health screenings to men aged 18 to 49, a population typically reluctant to routinely access medical services.

“Men in this age group, particularly young men, go to their doctor only when they exhibit symptoms of illness,” says Yedidah Yehudah, Program Administrator for the Health Department’s Division of Community Health. “By that point they need treatment, but many major health issues can be prevented or lessened by early detection. Our goal is to remind men of the need for basic periodic screenings to check for things like high blood pressure and diabetes.”

The mini-health fair also features sexual health information and HIV testing. “There are no symptoms for HIV infection until much later in the disease’s progress,” said Trina Hiemcke, Director of Education for AIDS-Related Community Services, one of the event’s sponsors. “We recommend that all sexually active men get an HIV test every six months. Without preventive screenings, many young men are left in the dark about their HIV status and could spread the virus to their partners.” At this event, attendees can opt for a free, rapid oral swab test in a confidential setting; those who do so will receive incentives such as small gift certificates.

Visitors will also enjoy refreshments, raffles, prizes, nutritional consultations and advice from fitness trainers. Yehudah says that the coalition chose to hold the event in a fitness center to drive home the message. “Men make time for sports and working out, but sometimes neglect other aspects of their health. Monitoring your blood pressure and getting an HIV test are just as important as that daily jog and eating right for maintaining overall wellness.”

Monday, May 3, 2010
4 to 8 pm
Flex Appeal
156 Gramatan Avenue, Mount Vernon

Featuring:

Diabetes Screenings
Body Mass Indexing
Blood Pressure Checks
HIV Testing
STD Screenings
Nutrition Consultants
Fitness Trainers
Free Incentives and Raffles
Refreshments

Sponsored by:
Westchester County Dept. of Health
MSM Coalition of Westchester
AIDS-Related Community Services
Hudson River Community Health
The LOFT
Westchester Medical Center
Flex Appeal

For more information, please call 914-813-5256

National HIV Testing Day

Tuesday, June 9th, 2009

Find an HIV testing site on our calendar and know your HIV status.

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