Posts Tagged ‘HIV Testing’

National Transgender HIV Testing Day

Wednesday, January 4th, 2017

National Transgender HIV Testing Day

April 18

National Transgender HIV Testing Day (NTHTD) was first observed on April 18, 2016. The community lead is UCSF’s The Center for Excellence in Transgender Health. Exit Disclaimer

More Resources

New HIV Testing Ad Campaign to Launch Soon

Wednesday, December 7th, 2016

UnknownCampaign_AfrAmThe AIDS Institute is pleased to announce a new statewide media campaign to promote HIV testing.

The campaign message is:

Worst HIV Status: Unknown

Not testing leaves you in the dark.  Testing puts you in control.

The campaign includes materials in English and Spanish.  Key messages encourage people to talk with their health care provider about HIV testing and the campaign includes a link to the CDC HIV testing locator (https://gettested.cdc.gov/)  to help people find community-based testing options.

This campaign, developed in conjunction with Better World Advertising, will begin sometime in December or January and will feature the following:

  • Various digital ads and use of social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Google ads and others
  • Convenience store, hair/nail salon and bar ads
  • Transit ads, including bus shelters and subway ads
  • Other media

The campaign website, which is now active, is www.hivtestny.org.  The Spanish language website can be accessed by clicking on En Espanol at the top of the site.

“Testing All Queens” Gets Its Own Afterparty

Tuesday, November 29th, 2016

This just in! The Queens and Kings of New Paltz announced that their HVCS fundraiser, “Testing All Queens,” extends beyond the on-campus dinner and show this Saturday night with an official afterparty at Village Pizza! Join them for more shenanigans, $11 pies, and drink specials at this popular New Paltz hangout starting at 10:00 pm. Plus, there will be a surprise drag show at midnight so you get two shows in one night! $2 cover to benefit HVCS.

Testing All Queens Afterparty18 and up, 21 to drink. For more info on Testing All Queens see our previous post.

SUNY New Paltz Drag Club Presents “Testing All Queens!” on Dec 3

Thursday, November 17th, 2016

Testing All Queens 2016SUNY New Paltz’ Queens & Kings of New Paltz, an on-campus drag club, presents the 2nd Annual “Testing All Queens!” drag show fundraiser on Saturday, December 3rd from 6:00 to 9:00 pm in the Student Union Building. This outrageously fun holiday-themed event features performances by future drag all-stars, dinner by Pasquale’s, DJ music by Dangerboy, and a guest speaker from Love Heals. Tickets are $5 for students and $10 for non-students, all to benefit HVCS. Our Project INFORM team will be on hand with sexual health info, condoms, lube and other goodies, too.

Last year’s event was a ton of fun, and we were so inspired by these talented drag kings and queens that we wound up hiring them for our other drag events later in the year! This is one event you don’t want to miss!

 

On HVCS’ 30th Anniversary: An Open Letter

Thursday, September 22nd, 2016

March 3, 1986. That’s the date when John Egan, the first Executive Director of the organization that eventually became Hudson Valley Community Services, signed the papers to incorporate as the Mid-Hudson Valley AIDS Task Force. These papers also established the agency’s “doing business as” name: AIDS-Related Community Services, or ARCS. John and a few other volunteers worked with the New York State Health Department’s new AIDS Institute for two and a half years before that point to line up funding, establish a hotline to answer questions about AIDS, and provide the bare beginnings of education for the public about what turned out to be a long-lasting epidemic.

As John said in a recent interview (this month), no one expected AIDS to last that long—they thought it would be cured within a few years. They likely had no idea how long the new agency would last, either.

Thirty years later,  not only is the agency still here—bearing a new name and expanded mission—but it is thriving. Though AIDS is not yet over and still provides us with plenty of challenges, there is at least a blueprint for diminishing its impact in New York State, with Gov. Cuomo’s “Bending the Curve” program and commitment to reducing new HIV transmissions to zero by 2020.

The organization (once known as ARCS, now as HVCS) can now respond to the initial risk factors that make people vulnerable to HIV and many diseases: poverty, disenfranchisement, substance use, mental health. We’ve expanded our programs and services beyond the one medical issue to hundreds more—though we remain steadfast in battling the HIV virus that started us down this path.

HIV is still around—but we’re still here, too. We now have nine offices—our latest opened in Lake Katrine last December. Our incredibly caring, talented, hard-working staff of 100 employees  work continuously on new initiatives and approaches to providing help where it is needed among the most vulnerable communities of the Hudson Valley.

100 of our most ardent supporters, staff and volunteers are gathering on Friday, September 23, 2016 at Ceola Manor in Jefferson Valley to raise a glass to toast our past and celebrate our bright future. But that is only a small fraction of those involved in this organization–and the celebration continues long past the confines of one party on one evening. Every time we get a client into stable housing–every time a client gets to a medical appointment–every time a young person comes in for a free HIV test–every time we get a thank-you note from a grateful client–and every time we get a donation–those are the tributes to HVCS that matter most. We wouldn’t be here without you. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

NYS HIV Infections Reach Historic Low; More Funds for PrEP Announced

Thursday, July 14th, 2016

In case you missed this week’s big news from Albany, Gov. Cuomo announced that estimates of new HIV infections for 2014 show a decrease of 41% from 2006. Estimated new HIV infections were fewer than 2,500 for the first time. The estimated HIV incidence rate (that is, the rate of people living with HIV, per 10,000 residents) fell 43% since 2006.

NYS HIV Infections, 2006-14

New estimates also report that 123,000 New Yorkers live with HIV, as of the end of 2014. About 10,000 do not yet know they are HIV-positive (8%). While this is good news overall, the report also estimates that only 62% of HIVers are virally suppressed (they have an undetectable viral load) and are, theoretically, incapable of infecting others. NYS would like to increase this percentage while continuing to decrease new infections to less than 750 per year by 2020.

Gov. Cuomo also announced an additional $4 million in funding to spread awareness of PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis). The NYS Department of Health unveiled new videos to educate the public about PrEP and a new website, PrEPforSex.org.

HVCS offers PrEP referrals, information and support, so please contact us if you’re thinking about going on PrEP to stay safe from HIV. These are trends we want to see continue!

NYS Dept of Health Debuts New PrEP Website & Video Series

Thursday, July 14th, 2016

The AIDS Institute announced two new exciting resources on Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV.

PrEP for Sex Video Series

This series of eight videos highlights the voices of men who are currently taking PrEP to prevent HIV infection.

Honest, forthright and insightful, these videos address the following topics:

  • Is PrEP Right for Me
  • Beginning the Process
  • Affordability
  • Remembering to Take PrEP
  • Condom Use
  • Why PrEP
  • Side Effects
  • PrEP and Emotions

PrEP Website

The AIDS Institute also unveiled a new website to unite the video series and public service announcements: PrEPforSex.org.

There is also a new text-message campaign. Users can text the word “PREP” to 69866 for personalized PrEP recommendations and resources.

More HIV Equal Pics from Our Regional Prevention Initiative

Thursday, April 3rd, 2014

Claribel at HIV Equal HVCS’ Claribel–a Prevention Specialist on our Project ALERT team–poses for the HIV Equal campaign.

Bryn at HIV Equal Bryn, a member of Project INFORM, poses for HIV Equal too. ALERT and INFORM participated at an HIV Equal event at SUNY Purchase last month.

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.

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