Posts Tagged ‘Westchester’

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Free HIV/STD Testing at the LOFT – Third Tuesdays

Tuesday, August 17th, 2021

Free HIV/STI Testing at the LOFT

Free HIV/STI Testing is provided through a collaboration with Hudson Valley Community Services (HVCS) on a monthly basis at The LOFT. Includes testing for HIV, Hepatitis C, Gonorrhea, Chlamydia, and Syphilis.

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Free HIV/STI Testing is conducted at The LOFT every 3rd Tuesday of month from 5:00pm-8:00pm by appointment only.  Testing is fast, free, and discreet.

In collaboration with Hudson Valley Community Services (HVCS), free, in-person HIV & STI screening is back at The LOFT every 3rd Tuesday from 5:00pm-8:00pm.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic new procedures have been put into place to ensure the safety of you, LOFT and HVCS staff.

  • You must make an appointment, no drop-ins will be able to be screened that day.
  • Pre-screening and counseling will be done prior to the appointment by phone with an HVCS counselor.
  • You must answer a COVID-19  health
    survey before you enter the center and have a thermal scan.
  • You must wear a face covering over your nose and mouth for the duration of the in-person appointment.

To start the process and make an appointment contact Jamel Gray at [email protected] or call  (914)-785-8214.

If you are unable to visit The LOFT  during the appointment period, additional appointments can be scheduled a different day and time either at The LOFT or an HVCS location.  Contact HVCS to find out more. 

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Free HIV/STD Testing at the LOFT – Third Tuesdays

Tuesday, July 20th, 2021

Free HIV/STI Testing at the LOFT

Free HIV/STI Testing is provided through a collaboration with Hudson Valley Community Services (HVCS) on a monthly basis at The LOFT. Includes testing for HIV, Hepatitis C, Gonorrhea, Chlamydia, and Syphilis.

________________________________________

Free HIV/STI Testing is conducted at The LOFT every 3rd Tuesday of month from 5:00pm-8:00pm by appointment only.  Testing is fast, free, and discreet.

In collaboration with Hudson Valley Community Services (HVCS), free, in-person HIV & STI screening is back at The LOFT every 3rd Tuesday from 5:00pm-8:00pm.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic new procedures have been put into place to ensure the safety of you, LOFT and HVCS staff.

  • You must make an appointment, no drop-ins will be able to be screened that day.
  • Pre-screening and counseling will be done prior to the appointment by phone with an HVCS counselor.
  • You must answer a COVID-19  health
    survey before you enter the center and have a thermal scan.
  • You must wear a face covering over your nose and mouth for the duration of the in-person appointment.

To start the process and make an appointment contact Jamel Gray at [email protected] or call  (914)-785-8214.

If you are unable to visit The LOFT  during the appointment period, additional appointments can be scheduled a different day and time either at The LOFT or an HVCS location.  Contact HVCS to find out more. 

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Free HIV/STD Testing at the LOFT – Third Tuesdays

Tuesday, June 15th, 2021

Free HIV/STI Testing at the LOFT

Free HIV/STI Testing is provided through a collaboration with Hudson Valley Community Services (HVCS) on a monthly basis at The LOFT. Includes testing for HIV, Hepatitis C, Gonorrhea, Chlamydia, and Syphilis.

________________________________________

Free HIV/STI Testing is conducted at The LOFT every 3rd Tuesday of month from 5:00pm-8:00pm by appointment only.  Testing is fast, free, and discreet.

In collaboration with Hudson Valley Community Services (HVCS), free, in-person HIV & STI screening is back at The LOFT every 3rd Tuesday from 5:00pm-8:00pm.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic new procedures have been put into place to ensure the safety of you, LOFT and HVCS staff.

  • You must make an appointment, no drop-ins will be able to be screened that day.
  • Pre-screening and counseling will be done prior to the appointment by phone with an HVCS counselor.
  • You must answer a COVID-19  health
    survey before you enter the center and have a thermal scan.
  • You must wear a face covering over your nose and mouth for the duration of the in-person appointment.

To start the process and make an appointment contact Jamel Gray at [email protected] or call  (914)-785-8214.

If you are unable to visit The LOFT  during the appointment period, additional appointments can be scheduled a different day and time either at The LOFT or an HVCS location.  Contact HVCS to find out more. 

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Hudson Valley Gives 2021

Wednesday, May 19th, 2021

Hudson Valley Gives, a day of local online philanthropy, takes place on Wednesday, May 19, 2021. Our goals are to raise $2,000 and connect with 25 new donors. If you are a past supporter, you are already incredibly special, and we hope you will donate to HVCS this HV Gives Day, too!

 

Hudson Valley Community Services saves and improves lives, even while we all cope with ongoing pandemics. Here at HVCS, we’ve felt the weight not only of the coronavirus pandemic, but also the co-occurring opioid overdose epidemic. At the same time, we underwent a merger. On March 1, 2021, we merged with Cornerstone Family Healthcare, a not-for-profit organization that serves much the same population as HVCS, and with a very similar mission. Both agencies operated from the belief that healthcare and quality of life are rights and not privileges. Healthcare for all, regardless of income level or social status, is our unofficial motto. HVCS is now a division of Cornerstone and all its programs, offices and staff have been retained. By consolidating our administrative functions we aim to be a viable community resource for decades to come, despite the constantly-evolving nature of healthcare and social services.

Throughout the past year of “quarantimes” our staff remained on the job, our syringe exchange program continued to operate, and we were here for our clients—who were among the hardest hit by the health disparities laid bare by the pandemic. Yes, we sadly lost some of our clients. Yes, some of our staff caught COVID-19 and had to quarantine. Yet HVCS soldiered on, and staff returned to our offices in shifts for two days a week, and remained available by phone and email the rest of the time. We reopened our food closets and started distributing nonperishable foods again in the fall. (Before that we mailed out supermarket gift cards.) Our donors—you included—enable us to carry on with this important work despite a 20% cut to our New York State contracts.

We are only able to be there for our vulnerable clients because of your help. You make this Hudson Valley a kinder, more compassionate place.

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Syringe Exchange Expands Into Westchester

Monday, January 11th, 2021

Project Reach Out vanSince the 1980’s, HVCS has provided services throughout Westchester County to people who use drugs, including HIV, STD and Hepatitis C prevention and education, HIV and STD testing, linkage to substance use disorder treatment services, and, when possible, emergency food and supplies. Many of these specific services were provided by our Project Reach Out program (PRO), which travels to Westchester’s urban areas—places hit hardest by the double HIV and opioid epidemics.

We were just approved to offer what is called “second tier syringe exchange” services via our PRO staff. They will be able to provide access to syringes, recoupment of used syringes, Narcan trainings, referrals to treatment, and information about prevention services to people who use drugs (PWUD). This is a form of “peer-delivered” services, where staff are permitted to carry out exchanges wherever they are, without being fixed to a particular location like our other syringe exchange programs in Rockland and in the Mid-Hudson.

This is a significant enhancement to the PRO program and a boon to Westchester’s PWUD population. By being embedded in the community and gaining clients’ trust, we aim to refer even more people to substance use treatment facilities and other services than ever before.

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Hawthorne office closed

Thursday, November 5th, 2020

Our Hawthorne office will be closed on Thursday, November 5th, Thursday, November 6th, and Thursday November 12th.

All HVCS offices are closed on Wednesdays. Staff are available by phone and email.

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Hawthorne Office Closed

Friday, October 30th, 2020

Our Hawthorne office will be closed on Friday, October 30, 2020.

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Westchester Pride Virtual Kick-off

Sunday, June 7th, 2020

Come and join The LOFT as we kick-off Westchester Pride!

You can join using either ZOOM or Facebook Live.

We’ll have live performances from Broadway Sings for Pride!

We’ll also hear messages from our elected officials like US Senator-NY Kirsten Gillibrand. There will also be a live Q&A from Westchester County Executive, George Latimer and so much more!

Looking forward to seeing you!

 

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Coronavirus Case in New Rochelle + Comparison to Flu Epidemic

Thursday, March 5th, 2020

We received more Coronavirus information from an official press release from Westchester County. We’re sharing it to ensure we are providing you with relevant, non-repetitive news about the coronavirus.

  • 1 resident of New Rochelle has tested positive for COVID-19 and he is currently in a New York City hospital. Officials are investigating his community contacts and travel patterns.
  • If you have any concerns about COVID-19 please call 211 – they will have the most up-to-date information and they are here for you
    • 8am – 10pm  SEVEN DAYS A WEEK
    • Please call them – use this resource
  • If you think you are symptomatic – DO NOT GO TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM – YOU MUST CALL AHEAD BEFORE ARRIVAL.
  • 12 residents are currently in voluntary quarantine in their homes.

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AS OF RIGHT NOW – STEPS TAKEN

  • With Coronavirus spreading globally, the CDC has issued travel health notices.  To date, residents should avoid nonessential travel to  China, Iran, Italy and South Korea given the number of cases in these countries.
  • Older residents and those with chronic medical conditions should consider also avoiding travel to Japan.

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WHAT CAN YOU/RESIDENTS DO

  • Children are not overtly at risk
  • Stay informed, calm and don’t be alarmed
  • Wash hands -at least 20 seconds with soap and water
  • Stay home when sick
  • Cover your mouth when cough or sneeze  – elbow or tissue
  • Clean with non-green products (i.e. bleach-based) [note: cleaning kits were distributed in our offices to help keep our offices cleaner]
  • Get your flu shot

Some perspective from Cornerstone Family Healthcare’s Dr. Avi Silber, Chief Medical Officer:

It is important to view the Corona Virus in perspective. In the US in the ordinary 2019-2020 flu season so far,

  • 32  million people have had flu illnesses
  • 14 million have had flu medical visits
  • 310,000 people have been hospitalized for the flu
  • 18,000 people have died.

And these numbers are just in the US! Dr. Silber reemphasized the guidance that has already been provided and which is available in the easy-to-read flyers from the CDC. English Spanish

  • Wash your hands and wipe down your work space
  • If you have a fever and a cough, check with your medical provider, especially if you’re in a high risk group (elderly, diabetic, heart or lung disease)
  • Stay home if you’re sick

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All In A Day’s Work: Assisting a Client With Housing Issues

Tuesday, February 11th, 2020

Stock photo by Pexels.comDora*, a Health Homes client since 2016, has active mental health issues and does not leave her basement apartment much. Dora’s apartment in Westchester County had not been renovated since she moved there in 2018, and she had problems with vermin and structural safety concerns. The kitchen floor tiles were loose, a large metal ladder in her living room was not bolted in and was unstable, and her food pantry had no door. This exacerbated the vermin problem. She also had no bars on her windows and lives in a tough neighborhood. Her oven had not worked correctly in months, forcing her to use a microwave for all meals. The landlord had not been responding to her many attempts to have these issues fixed.

After advocating for the client and assisting her with various paperwork, our Care Assistant, Chiffon, got the Urban League (a division of the Department of Social Services) to perform inspections. (Urban League now checks on Dora once a month, too.) The landlord was forced to replace her entire apartment’s floor with beautiful wood grain boards, address the safety concerns, replace her stove, and arrange for an exterminator service. Chiffon also arranged for Dora to receive a food delivery service and SNAP (formerly known as food stamps). Dora has expressed great satisfaction with Health Home services. Great job, Chiffon!

*Not her real name. Stock photo used for illustrative purposes.

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