In this episode Steph, Naomi and Andy debunk a few of the myths about sexually transmitted diseases or STD’s. You don’t want to miss this one!
Subscribe for more episodes or listen to each one on Spotify, iTunes and other platforms!
Posts Tagged ‘HIV’
New Podcast Episode: STDs…the Truth Is Out There!
Wednesday, February 12th, 2020PrEP, PEP and Hep A: Podcast Episode
Wednesday, February 5th, 2020In this episode of our new podcast, we discuss what PrEP & PEP are and how they both work. Plus learn about the rise of Hep A here in the Hudson Valley and how to protect yourself against a range of harmful sexually transmitted infections (STIs).
You can also listen to more episodes on Spotify, iTunes and other podcast platforms–subscribe today!
National HIV Testing Day
Tuesday, June 18th, 2019
I’m Doing It. Testing for HIV.
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.
HIV Testing Day at Walgreens in Poughkeepsie
Tuesday, June 18th, 2019HVCS is collaborating with Walgreens in Poughkeepsie, located at 827 Dutchess Turnpike, for National HIV Testing Day. Our team will be on site 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.
HVCS Receives $22,000 From The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation, In Partnership With Macy’s
Monday, March 25th, 2019
Hudson Valley Community Services has been awarded a grant for $22,000 from The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation (ETAF) in partnership with Macy’s. The grant will be used for HVCS’ Psychosocial Support Services (PSS) program, which is a unique vehicle to provide HIV-positive residents of Westchester, Putnam and Rockland with emotional and psychological support, support groups, and ensure they remain connected to care and community. Specifically, ETAF’s grant will fund art therapy and interactive journaling for the women’s support group. PSS began on March 1, 2019.
HVCS is honored to be recognized for our innovative approach in support of people affected by HIV and AIDS. “Hudson Valley Community Services is a powerful part of a collective effort to achieve an AIDS-free world, a world Elizabeth Taylor is still helping to realize through ETAF” said Catherine Brown, Executive Director of The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation. “ETAF and Macy’s are honored to support HVCS with these funds to continue our aligned goals of health equity and zero discrimination for all people living with or at risk for HIV and AIDS.”
Through their Cause Marketing Program, Thanks For Sharing, Macy’s recognizes their responsibility to support disadvantaged communities and the needs of their neighbors. They are proud to partner with ETAF and have contributed to this grant.
The Psychosocial Support Services program’s main funder is the Ryan White CARE Act, Part A, administered by Public Health Solutions.
About The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation (ETAF)
Founded in 1991, The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation (ETAF) joins Elizabeth’s voice in the fight for social justice and human rights for people living with HIV and AIDS to achieve an AIDS-free world. Inspired by Elizabeth’s personal passion for the cause, in 2019 ETAF is focused on youth, women, children and families, ensuring they receive the direct care and support they need both domestically and in Malawi, the hotspot of the global epidemic. ETAF’s advocacy and awareness initiatives concentrate on elevating Elizabeth’s voice to secure care for the marginalized and social equity for all. To learn more or to make a donation please visit www.etaf.org.
VIDEO: Your Questions About Safer Sex, Answered
Monday, March 18th, 2019
Got questions about the latest ways to reduce your risk for HIV, STDs and hepatitis C? So do lots of our followers. Members of our Education & Prevention Department went live on Facebook to answer them. In this video, we covered PrEP, PEP, how risky certain sexual behaviors are (or not), and how to reach our programs for more services!
Need free testing services? Contact us at (845) 704-7624 — you can call OR text! ? You can also email us to set up an appointment.
The HIV Care Cascade
Monday, March 11th, 2019
Have you heard of the HIV Care Cascade?
Essentially, the HIV Care Cascade is a way we can measure the effectiveness of HIV treatment among HIV-positive people. The Cascade uses viral suppression as a measurement–and viral suppression is the medical state in which the number of copies of HIV in a person’s blood is so small that it can’t be detected by the best tests we have. If someone is virally suppressed, they can’t infect anyone else with HIV, so it’s good for them and their sexual partners!
The Cascade is an analysis of the steps or stages of HIV medical care that people living with HIV go through from initial diagnosis to achieving viral suppression. The metrics were developed by New York State’s “End the Epidemic” (ETE) Task Force to track and report to the public the state’s progress on the initiative.
There are four key metrics in the Cascade, including: the number of individuals who are diagnosed with HIV; the number who have evidence of medical care during the year; the number who are retained in care (visiting a doctor more than once per year), and the number who are virally suppressed.
So, how are we doing? Since you can apply the HIV Care Cascade to different groups, let’s look at New York State as a whole and HVCS clients.
As for NY, numbers are improving…
the overall state average of viral suppression is 72% of HIV-positive clients who received at least one viral load test in 2017.
But HVCS clients are beating the average. We recently compiled our own HIV Cascade for the first time, using 2017 data from some (not all) of our programs. 90% of HVCS clients with evidence of some medical care (they received at least one viral load test in 2017) are virally suppressed!
We work as hard as we can to assist our clients with accessing and staying connected to medical care to keep them–and the whole Hudson Valley–as healthy as possible.
Too Tired For Treatment?
Friday, March 8th, 2019
Sandy*, one of our clients in the Mid-Hudson region, is like a lot of people in her thirties: she was working several jobs to make ends meet, had no time to eat properly or exercise, had a few minor health problems that she ignored. She was definitely not focused on her health. That is, until she became HIV-positive.
She didn’t want to see a doctor about it, and was not on HIV medications at all. Our Health Home care manager Maria knew that Sandy needed a lot of emotional support and encouragement to start HIV treatment—and she also knew that Sandy’s health was in great danger if she continued to ignore her HIV-positive status. “I don’t have time for that. I’m too tired,” Sandy would say. Maria was extremely patient with Sandy and, after months of building trust, she eventually got Sandy to see that her health mattered. Sandy finally went to see an HIV specialist and got on treatment.
Thanks to her doctor and Maria, Sandy is now virally suppressed—with no detectable HIV in her blood—and is now connected to a whole host of health resources. Maria reports that Sandy is doing very well.
*Not her real name
National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day Celebration (Poughkeepsie)
Tuesday, January 22nd, 2019
Please join HRHCare Community Health for their first annual National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day Celebration on February 7, 2019.
Get Tested
Get Educationed
Get PrEPed
For more information, contact Candice Melvin at (845) 260-0043.
The Big Barbershop HIV Testing Extravaganza
Wednesday, November 7th, 2018Join us for the Big Barbershop HIV Testing Extravaganza on Friday, November 30th in Mt. Vernon! To commemorate World AIDS Day, five barbershops are hosting HIV testing programs like HVCS’ Project ALERT, from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm. All Barbershops are located on Gramatan Avenue between Sydney St and Prospect St in Mount Vernon, NY.
The five participating barbershops are:
All Star Barber & Salon, located at 91 Gramatan Ave.
Barbershop & Salon 88, located at on 88 Gramatan Ave.
Junior V.I.P Barbershop, located at 81 Gramatan Ave.
Monegro, located at 80 Gramatan Ave.
#047 La VEGA Barbershop, located at 43 Gramatan Ave.