Why it matters: If you know your HIV status, you can act accordingly. If you’re negative, take steps to stay negative such as safer sex, harm reduction, going on PrEP, and talking about safety with partners. If you’re positive, engage with and stay in medical care to stay healthy and lower your HIV viral load. If you’re undetectable, you can’t spread HIV. undetectable = untransmittable! #UequalsU
It all starts with knowing your HIV status. If you don’t know and it’s been more than 6 months, it’s time to get tested.
We’ll be offering FREE HIV oral swab testing at Walgreen’s in Poughkeepsie and Yonkers on Tuesday, June 27th from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm.
Tina Burner, who rose to international fame after appearing on RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 13, comes to the Hudson Valley in support of our programs and services! Electro Brunch is coming up on Sunday, March 12, 2023, at noon at The Academy HVNY. Our annual drag brunch raises funds for programs like HIV/AIDS prevention, harm reduction and emergency food pantries. We’ve partnered with Out Loud Hudson Valley to completely revamp our event, with a new venue and a much larger audience!
Tickets are $35 and table of up to 10 are available. Please note: Tickets are for admission to the fabulous show… The Academy’s brunch buffet with mimosas is an additional $40, and other beverages will be sold separately.
Where can you enjoy an appearance by an internationally famous drag queen, a spectacular brunch, a full bar, and help your neighbors in need? At the HVCS Electro Brunch, that’s where!
We’ve partnered with Out Loud Hudson Valley to amp up our annual drag brunch to the next level. Join Tina Burner from RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 13 at the Academy in Poughkeepsie on Sunday, March 12, 2023, at Noon. Tickets are $35.00 and proceeds benefit HVCS’ programs, such as our HIV/AIDS education services and our emergency food closets.
The Academy, Poughkeepsie’s hottest dining destination, will offer their new brunch menu, signature cocktails, and full bar (meals and beverages must be purchased separately). You’ll also have the chance to enter to win fabulous prizes in our raffles and games.
Our Dutchess County Syringe Exchange Program (SEP) is operating via special arrangements while our mobile health van undergoes some much-needed repairs. Prevention Specialists will be at our usual spot with their cars, and we are distributing harm reduction supplies as we always do. Things may look a little different for a few weeks, and you may not see our usual white van. If you’re in need and don’t see us on Mondays and Thursdays, call (914) 606-0316 or (845) 743-3133.
Join your chosen family for an unforgettable evening at Revel 32, as Out Loud Hudson Valley produces its first fundraiser of 2023.
UPDATE: Let The Sun Shine has been moved to Saturday, April 15, 2023. Tickets are still available at the link below.
The fun starts at 8pm with a cash bar cocktail reception and live music with DJ Jimmy Prada. At 9:30, Shequida will host the Mr./Miss Hudson Valley Drag Competition, and a winner will be crowned based on audience votes! Immediately following the show, the dance party continues.
In our newest episode, host Andy Reid talks with Andrew Sherman Evans, Jr., the Director of Public Health and Disease Prevention with the Dutchess County Department of Behavioral & Community Health. Andrew has served in public health for nearly 33 years. He is the former President of the Board of HVCS and is currently a member of the board at Cornerstone Family Healthcare.
Sarah Santos is the Regional Care Coordinator for Dutchess County.
HVCS joined a new statewide effort to link people who have survived an opioid overdose with local recovery, treatment and support resources. Coordinated by NY MATTERS, our Regional Care Coordinator is based in Dutchess County but is empowered to serve clients throughout the Hudson Valley region. The Regional Care Coordinator works with treatment centers, medical providers, emergency rooms, syringe access programs, medically-assisted treatment providers, and other services to compile a comprehensive list of available referrals. Contact information and data are loaded onto an iPad search portal that is available in emergency rooms. After a non-fatal overdose, medical staff will provide the iPad to clients so they can line up support services immediately, before leaving the emergency room. The program’s purpose is to increase the number of successful referrals to aftercare resources, without lengthy delays or lag times. Studies have shown that overdose clients are much more likely to pursue treatment the sooner they connect with the provider and the “warm handoff” happens in a timely manner. If a client experiences any obstacles, such as a wait list or lack of response from a provider, they are less likely to follow through on the treatment referral. By delaying treatment, the client is much more likely to continue using substances illegally and, possibly, risks another overdose.
HVCS’ Regional Care Coordinator is part of a growing interconnected web of substance use disorder providers. Their role is to pave the way for immediate referral uptake among providers, to funnel more people to the treatment they need to free themselves or reduce the harm of substance use. Our RCC is also an integral part of our Drug User Health Hub in Dutchess County. The Health Hub links clients to buprenorphine (Suboxone) prescribing providers, either in person or via telemedicine. Buprenorphine prevents the feelings of opioid withdrawal without the “high” or harm. It is often a critical component of a client’s recovery from opioid use disorder.
Our Hepatitis C (HCV) Patient Navigation program has been doing outreach at the Poughkeepsie PODS. These are former Dutchess County Jail inmate units that were converted to Temporary Housing Units during Covid-19. The HCV team provides HCV education, testing and runs a weekly table highlighting all of our HVCS programs.
MHA (Mental Health Association) and Hudson River Housing joined together to figure out how to provide services for individuals experiencing homeless in Dutchess County while adhering to social distancing guidelines. The space accommodates up to 52 males and 48 females.
We are glad to be a part of this valuable community resource!
Every day brings stark news of how the coronavirus pandemic has worsened hunger in New York State. Because we know hunger will remain a challenge throughout the economic downturn, we need to re-double our efforts to enroll people in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). New York’s Nutrition Outreach and Education Program (NOEP) provides free, confidential services to help people learn about and apply for SNAP benefits.
Thanks to NOEP, Hudson Valley Community Services has been able to provide SNAP application assistance to 400 individuals and 625 households each year so they can afford the food they need. NOEP is a critical front-line response for low income families, seniors, disabled and veterans who are food insecure and need help applying for benefits.
Since the start of the pandemic, requests for NOEP assistance have increased dramatically. With state budget cuts looming, funding for NOEP services is at risk and our community may lose these critical services. The state has rightfully invested millions of dollars into food banks to meet the immediate needs of New Yorkers who need food now. However, SNAP benefits will provide long-term relief to struggling families. NOEP services help people apply for SNAP and the state’s investment in NOEP is needed now more than ever. NOEP services across the State, including in the Mid-Hudson Valley, are at risk and are currently scheduled to end in June. We are asking that concerned citizens reach out to Gov. Cuomo now to help save these imperiled services.
HVCS is collaborating with Walgreens in Poughkeepsie, located at 827 Dutchess Turnpike, for National HIV Testing Day (June 27th). Our team will be on site from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm for free confidential HIV testing, information on PrEP, as well as HIV prevention, care and treatment. We are partnering with Greater Than AIDS for this community event.
It’s National HIV Testing Day! 
