Posts Tagged ‘Sullivan’

Buprenorphine Eligibility Waiver Training for Clinical Providers

Friday, October 20th, 2017

The NYSDOH AIDS Institute and Sullivan County Public Health Services are hosting a Free Buprenorphine Eligibility Waiver Training for Clinical Providers (Physicians, Nurse Practitioners, Physician Assistants, Pharmacists, and Medical Residents) on Saturday, December 2nd, 2017 from 8:00AM to 1:00PM at Catskills Regional Medical Center, 68 Harris-Bushville Rd, Board Room, Harris, NY 12742.

As you may know, Sullivan County has some of the highest rates of opioid overdose in New York State. In just the first seven months of 2017, Sullivan County has experienced a reported 20 overdose deaths. From 2013-2016, there were approximately 75 reported opioid overdose deaths. We know these numbers are higher, and continue to increase due to access to fentanyl. We are seeking to increase the volume of providers in and around your county that are able to offer medication assisted treatment (MAT) to people using opioids whom could benefit from buprenorphine (or “suboxone”).

Attached is a flyer with further information, including location, online registration, and more details. Further information will be sent out to confirmed attendees. Light refreshments will be provided. Registration closes on November 29th at 5pm.

Trainers:
Sharon Stancliff, MD, Harm Reduction Coalition, New York, NY
Bruce Trigg, MD, Harm Reduction Coalition, New York, NY

Please Note: CME Credits will be made available. This is the first half of the minimum required 8 hours of training, and the second half must be completed online after attendance to the live training. Currently NPs & PAs are required to take an additional 16 hours of online training which is available on the PCSS-MAT website (Part 2).

For more information about buprenorphine related trainings, mentoring, coaching, technical assistance and more, please contact us at buprenorphine@health.ny.gov or 1-800-692-8528.

New Substance Abuse Program Coming to Sullivan County

Wednesday, August 9th, 2017

A map of Sullivan CountyHVCS has received a grant from the NY State Department of Health to create what is called a Drug Users Health Hub for opiate users in Sullivan County. This new program, which we are calling the Hub, will help reduce opioid use and overdoses while improving clients’ general health.  The funds will enable us to hire a physician and nurses to write Buprenorphine prescriptions and offer crisis visits, relapse prevention and wound care in our Monticello office.

We are anxious to get to work with new staff positions and resources so that we can reduce the number of opioid overdoses and get more people into treatment. This program is also exciting because it will allow us to provide actual medical care as a stand-alone service, which is something HVCS has never done before.

The Hub will work in tandem with our other substance abuse treatment programs, the Syringe Exchange Program and Project ReachOut.

Buprenorphine–What’s That?

Staff in this program will be able to prescribe Buprenorphine to treat opioid and heroin addiction. It relieves drug cravings without producing the same high as other opioid drugs. The program nurses will also provide relapse interventions and monitor clients so they can access the services they need.

Funding for HVCS’ Criminal Justice Initiative Renewed

Wednesday, May 24th, 2017

We are thrilled to announce that funding for our Criminal Justice Initiative was renewed by the New York State Department of Health AIDS Institute for another five years! We operate the CJI program in six New York State prisons for men in what is known as the Sullivan hub: Eastern, Otisville, Shawangunk, Sullivan, Wallkill and Woodbourne. Specialists provide HIV testing, create transition plans for HIV+ inmates who have served their time, and work with inmates to organize the Prisoners for AIDS Counseling and Education (PACE) program. CJI plays a critical role in preventing the spread of HIV/AIDS among the incarcerated population.

Free Buprenorphine Waiver Training Offered in Sullivan Co on May 6

Wednesday, March 8th, 2017

The NYSDOH, AIDS Institute is sponsoring a free buprenorphine waiver training for clinical providers in Monticello on Saturday, May 6, 2017 from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm. Breakfast will be provided.

In response to the opioid overdose deaths in New York State, increased access to buprenorphine treatment for opioid overdose disorder is urgently needed. Physicians, Nurse Practitioners and Physician Assistants are welcome and highly encouraged to attend this training. Under current regulations, clinical providers are required to obtain a ‘waiver’ to prescribe buprenorphine. Physicians can acquire this waiver by attending and completing a standardized and required 8-hour training. This training is offered in a half-and-half format [4 hrs of online training followed up by 4 hrs of in-person training]. Upon completion, providers will meet the requirement of the DATA 2000 to be qualified to prescribe buprenorphine for opioid-dependent patients. NPs and PAs are required to complete an additional 16 hours of online training.

Register online today!

Trainers: Kelly Ramsey, MD, Hudson River HealthCare, Poughkeepsie, NY Sharon Stancliff, MD, Harm Reduction Coalition, New York, NY

Where: Ted Stroebele Recreation Center, 10 Jefferson St., Room 1, Monticello, NY 12701

Questions: NYSDOH, AIDS Institute, Office of Drug User Health Stephen Crowe, 212-417-4558, stephen.crowe@health.ny.gov or Lyla Hunt, 518-473-7428, buprenorphine@health.ny.gov

Free Buprenorphine Training for Clinical Providers

Wednesday, March 8th, 2017

The NYSDOH, AIDS Institute is sponsoring a free buprenorphine waiver training for clinical providers. In response to the opioid overdose deaths in New York State, increased access to buprenorphine treatment for opioid overdose disorder is urgently needed. Physicians, Nurse Practitioners and Physician Assistants are welcome and highly encouraged to attend this training. Under current regulations, clinical providers are required to obtain a ‘waiver’ to prescribe buprenorphine. Physicians can acquire this waiver by attending and completing a standardized and required 8-hour training. This training is offered in a half-and-half format [4 hrs of online training followed up by 4 hrs of in-person training].

Upon completion, providers will meet the requirement of the DATA 2000 to be qualified to prescribe buprenorphine for opioid-dependent patients. NPs and PAs are required to complete an additional 16 hours of online training. Please contact us for further information.

CME CREDITS: The School of Public Health, University at Albany is accredited by the Medical Society of the State of New York (MSSNY) to provide continuing medical education for physicians. The School of Public Health, University at Albany designates this live activity for a maximum of 5.0 AMA PRA Category 1 CreditsTM. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Trainers: Kelly Ramsey, MD (Hudson River HealthCare, Poughkeepsie, NY) and Sharon Stancliff, MD (Harm Reduction Coalition, New York, NY)

Where: Catskills Regional Medical Center, 68 Harris-Bushville Rd, 2nd Floor Board Room, Harris, NY 12742

Online Registration: www.surveymonkey.com/r/sullivancountybuprenorphinetraining

Questions: NYSDOH, AIDS Institute, Office of Drug User Health Stephen Crowe, 212-417-4558, stephen.crowe@health.ny.gov Lyla Hunt, 518-473-7428, buprenorphine@health.ny.gov

ACCREDITATION: This activity has been planned and implemented by NYSDOH, AIDS Institute in accordance with the accreditation requirements and policies of the American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry (AAAP) and in partnership with Hudson Valley Community Services, Sullivan County Public Health Services and Harm Reduction Coalition. Funding for this course was made possible (in part) by 1U79TI026556 from SAMHSA. The views expressed in written conference materials or publications and by speakers and moderators do not necessarily reflect the official policies of the Department of Health and Human Services; nor does mention of trade names, commercial practices, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government. American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry is the sponsoring data organization.

Syringe Exchange Program Expands to Sullivan and Ulster Counties

Wednesday, December 7th, 2016

HVCS’ Syringe Exchange Program (SEP) is pleased to announced that it now serves Sullivan and Ulster counties, in addition to Dutchess and Orange. The New York State Department of Health’s Harm Reduction Unit recently approved our plan to expand our successful syringe exchange van program to Kingston and Monticello.

The discrete SEP van will be located in Kingston at Elmendorf Street between Broadway and Tremper Avenue on Tuesdays and Fridays from 10:00 am to 12 noon and 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm.

The van will also operate in Monticello on Mondays and Fridays from 11:30 am to 12:30 pm and 1:30 pm to 2:30 pm, but interested clients and referring agencies must call (845) 476-2190 OR (845) 234-5225 for location.

The SEP program has kept thousands of used syringes off of the streets and out of the Poughkeepsie and Newburgh communities thus far. Program staff regularly offer trainings on the overdose prevention drug Narcan/Naloxone, and have saved several lives. Staffers estimate that the clients they have trained to administer Narcan themselves revive between three and five overdosing peers each month.

For more information on SEP, please call (845) 476-2190 or (845) 234-5225.

Urgent Call for Donations: Family in Need

Tuesday, September 9th, 2014

Call for DonationsA Family in Need

“I’ve never seen a family survive with so little,” said one of our Health Home care managers this week. She let us know that a new client and her large family are in dire need of basic essentials, from children’s clothing to furniture to cleaning supplies. “They have almost nothing…no living room furniture, mattresses on the floor. Other school kids tease her girls for wearing the same clothes every day.” To help, we’re accepting donations for this local family:

  • Gift cards to popular stores like Wal-Mart and Target (for clothes and household items) or Staples (for school supplies): drop off at any office* or mail to: HVCS, 40 Saw Mill River Rd., Hawthorne NY 10532
  • New or very gently used girls’ clothing for ages 3 to 12 – drop off at our Monticello or Newburgh offices
  • Basic school supplies: drop off at our Monticello or Newburgh offices
  • New or gently used household and furniture items: call the Monticello office at (845) 791-8871 x11.

Your contributions will be truly appreciated and will help this family live healthier and with dignity!

*Please call in advance to make sure one of our staff can greet you and accept your donation.

HVCS Receives New Nutrition Services/SNAP Grant

Tuesday, April 1st, 2014

Hudson Valley Community Services (HVCS) announced today that it has received new funding from Hunger Solutions NY to start a Nutritional Outreach and Education Program this summer in three Hudson Valley counties. The main goal of the program is to connect individuals, working families and seniors who are food-insecure and need nutritional support with a variety of services, including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. Offering nutrition assistance to millions of eligible, low-income individuals and families, SNAP is the largest program in the domestic hunger safety net. SNAP is the new term for what was called the “food stamp” program.

Starting July 1, HVCS will hire three new staff members to perform outreach in Orange, Sullivan and Ulster counties to find working families and seniors who qualify for SNAP but who are not yet signed up for services. The program targets people who have nutritional deficiencies but may not know that they qualify for more help. “SNAP-eligible working families with children are both everywhere, yet not easily identifiable,” says Jeff Kraus, HVCS’ Executive Director. “Families assume that they are not eligible for SNAP because they are working, that SNAP is contingent on other assistance programs, and that they need to be citizens. But SNAP is more widely available.” Kraus also stresses that social stigma plays a role. “People think that they don’t ‘look’ like they need SNAP. And if they’re not receiving other benefits, they might also be unfamiliar with procedures for accessing government programs.” He cites the traditional government program office hours as an example. “If you’re working an hourly rate job, you can’t leave between 9 and 5 to go into an office to fill out paperwork. Our staff will be able to work around such barriers.”

HVCS staffers will guide applicants through the sign-up process and can connect them to emergency food closets and other services while the application is pending.

The new program will also identify and sign up senior citizens who face their own unique nutritional shortages. Older adults are often unaware of the eligibility considerations that affect them, and may suffer from mobility and transportation limitations. “Seniors also fear the potential stigma of getting help,” Kraus says. “Our goal is to remove any barriers that keep people from accessing this vital food program.” Staff will provide outreach and education to individuals with complex needs, such as mental health or substance abuse issues, as well as immigrants, who often assume they are not eligible for many programs due to their residency status.

“We are thrilled that Hunger Solutions NY has entrusted HVCS to start this program in Orange, Sullivan and Ulster counties,” Kraus says. “We’re creating jobs while helping the hungry and those on the edge of hunger. This is a win-win for the Hudson Valley.”

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.