“Hello!

I’m running in the Steamtown Marathon, Scranton , PA to raise money for AIDS-Related Community Services (ARCS) – please make a donation by visiting our FirstGiving page: http://www.firstgiving.com/barbarabennet

As many of you may know, I work for ARCS, which is a non-profit HIV/AIDS services organization that has offices in seven counties in the Hudson Valley.  Since the budget crisis began in 2008, ARCS has lost several education and prevention programs and  $1.1 million of money due to recession-based cutbacks.

Every nonprofit is hurting, yes its true.  However, HIV infection is 100% preventable, but growing among our neighbors.

One of largest growing populations of new HIV infections in our region (yes, HUDSON VALLEY) is among women of child bearing age.  This means that women are being infected with HIV because they do not know enough to protect themselves or they don’t have the means to do so.

Cost-analysis studies show, that the cost to prevent an HIV infection is about $50.00 and the cost of treating an infection is about $600,000 over a lifetime.
Providing education and prevention alternatives to our neighbors is of the utmost importance during this time of economic hardship when many women are not able to support themselves.

This year, I am asking that you consider donating to ARCS to help prevent the spread of HIV among our neighbors.

You can donate online with a credit card. All donations are secure and sent directly to AIDS-Related Community Services (ARCS) by FirstGiving, who will email you a printable record of your donation.

Please forward this email to anyone who shares your passion and commitment to helping our community.

With love always,

Barbara”

“NEWS FROM Assembly Health Committee Chair

Richard N. Gottfried

822 Legislative Office Building, Albany, NY 12248 – Tel: 518-455-4941

250 Broadway, #2232, New York, NY 10007 – Tel: 212-312-1492

GottfrR@assembly.state.ny.us
Contact:
Ryan Streeter 518-455-4941
StreeterR@assembly.state.ny.us

New HIV Policies Become Law

PATERSON SIGNS BILLS ON HIV TESTING AND SYRINGE DISPOSAL

New laws to promote HIV testing and safe disposal of syringes were signed by Governor Paterson on Friday.  Both bills were sponsored by Assembly Health Committee chair Richard N. Gottfried and Senate Health Committee chair Thomas K. Duane.

The HIV testing bill (A. 11487, S. 8227) comes after several years of negotiations among legislators, community organizations, and health care providers.  Many of the provisions are taken from bills drafted by Gottfried, Duane, and the State Department of Health.

“Many HIV-positive New Yorkers do not know they are infected, so they don’t get treatment. It is critically important for them and for public health that we get more people tested,” said Gottfried. “This landmark legislation will simplify the process for HIV testing, require the offering of HIV testing in many health care settings, and thus save lives.”

The syringe safe disposal bill will encourage safe disposal of used syringes by barring the arrest of a person for possessing a legally-obtained syringe, even if it contains a leftover microscopic amount of a controlled substance.  It had been submitted to the Legislature by Governor Paterson.

“Throwing an infected syringe into the gutter, out of fear of prosecution for possession of a trace of substance, increases the danger of someone getting HIV or other serious infection from a needle stick,” said Assembly Member Richard N. Gottfried, Chair of the Assembly Health Committee and sponsor of the bill (A. 8396-A, S. 5620-A).  “Stopping the arrest of drug users for possessing a used needle is a common sense way to protect public health and safety.”

One in four New Yorkers living with HIV are unaware of their status.  Approximately 50 to 70 percent of new infections are caused by people who are unaware of their status.  Communities of color and young MSM (men who have sex with men) are disproportionately impacted.

“Offering HIV testing to everyone is a policy that works,” Gottfried said.  “When the New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation (HHC) began to routinely offer testing to all patients in many of its hospitals and clinics, the number of people tested for HIV increased 116%.”

“I thank Governor David Paterson, Senator Thomas K. Duane, Assembly Members Darryl Towns, Nettie Mayersohn, and Annette Robinson, and the HIV/AIDS service community for their support for the HIV testing legislation,” Gottfried added. Among the supporters of the bill are: the City of New York, GMHC (Gay Men’s Health Crisis), Harlem United, the Latino Commission on AIDS, the National Black Leadership Commission on AIDS, Inc., the New York State Academy of Family Physicians, the New York AIDS Coalition, and the New York State Nurses Association.

SUMMARY OF EXPANDED HIV TESTING LAW

·  Oral rather than written consent may be used for rapid HIV testing (i.e., a test that produces results in less than one hour), except in prisons or jails.

·  Allows an HIV test consent to be included in a “general” consent or a form that covers multiple procedures.  A separate HIV consent form would no longer be required.  Someone who does not want to be tested would check off a box to decline.

·  Consent would be “durable.”  Once a patient consents, the provider or clinic would not have to get a new consent or repeat giving pre-test information on later visits.

·  Pre-consent and post-test information would be simplified and can be provided in writing (not requiring spoken counseling).

·  Testing would be required to be offered to patients aged 13 to 64 in hospital emergency rooms, inpatient care, and primary care in all settings (including physician offices), with some exceptions.

·  When a patient tests HIV positive, the provider must offer to arrange for referral for treatment.

·  Where a health care worker is potentially exposed to HIV by a patient, and the patient lacks capacity to consent to being tested, testing may be ordered without the patient’s consent.

·  Public health agencies will be able to use information obtained through HIV name reporting for monitoring consistency and quality of follow-up treatment.

·  If a patient dies, HIV-related information could be provided to the executor or administrator of the estate as necessary for estate administration.”

WAMC Interview

AIDS-Related Community Services was featured in two news articles this week. Please use the links below to read each story!

Fundraisers Boost AIDS Prevention

from The Poughkeepsie Journal (which sponsored our 2009 Hudson Valley AIDS Walk)

Nonprofits on the Hook

from the New York Nonprofit Press

On Thursday, August 19th from 6 to 10 pm, Jim and Patrick of Chill (and the newly-opened Cafeteria in New Paltz) will be serving up complimentary cheese platters along with their tapas menu and a cash bar. From 6 to 7 pm, enjoy a wine tasting with Bill Cole from Lauber Imports, and if you like it you’ll be able to grab more at the bar. We’ll also be giving away door prizes and holding a small silent auction, featuring wines, liquors, sports tickets and more surprises.

At last year’s event, over 100 of you turned out for one of our most successful Friendraisers ever. Make sure to RSVP for one of August’s coolest events! Our Friendraisers are casual open-house events, so feel free to drop in whenever you like!

Chill will also be donating a portion of the evening’s sales to ARCS, so make sure to eat and drink well to benefit our services!

$20 suggested donation at the door. To RSVP, please call Jana at (914) 785-8283 or email her at jfernandes@arcs.org.

Sponsored by:

My name is J. Dewey, and I’m the Director of Public Relations and Resource Enhancement for ARCS. I’m very excited to announce that ARCS will be bringing back Dining Out for Life, our restaurant fundraising event, for 2011. Dining Out for Life is an international event hosted by local HIV/AIDS charities, with over 60 participating cities and regions across North America. Food Network star (and former Queer Eye guy) Ted Allen and renown actress Pam Grier are our spokepeople!

On the fourth Thursday of April each year, participating restaurants will donate a certain percentage of their income to ARCS. So, the more YOU dine out at these restaurants, the more they’re able to contribute to helping our programs and services for Hudson Valley residents dealing with HIV/AIDS.

Though it seems like a long way off, please mark your calendars now for Thursday, April 28, 2011! We’ll be working diligently to sign up restaurants, get volunteers involved, recruiting table captains and diners, and putting together a media campaign. If you’re a restaurant owner – or if you’re a frequent patron of a particular restaurant you think would like to participate – contact me at jdewey@arcs.org and we’ll send you all the information on becoming a DOFL restaurant! You can also sign up for our e-mail newsletter to stay in the loop on all our upcoming events.

MUCH more information coming soon!

Thank you very much for your interest in ARCS and our clients in need.

J. Dewey

The need for all of this information is great. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,

• MSM account for nearly half of the more than one million people living with HIV in the U.S.
• MSM comprise more than half of all new HIV infections (an estimated 28,700 people) in the U.S. each year.
• MSM account for just 4 percent of the U.S. male population aged 13 and older, but the rate of new HIV diagnoses among MSM in the U.S. is more than 44 times that of other men.
• MSM make up the only risk group in the U.S. in which new HIV infections are increasing. (New infections have declined among both heterosexuals and injection drug users.)

These are all sobering facts, aren’t they? Check out all the online resources, including Basic HIV/AIDS info, discussion board, Q&A with medical experts, blogs by real-world guys dealing with HIV-related issues, and more at TheBody.com.

And to learn more about ARCS’ work with the MSM and gay community, visit our Men’s Health page.

Join ARCS at a special HIV/AIDS Awareness Night at Dutchess Stadium on Wednesday, August 25, 2010 for “Go ‘Gades, Fight AIDS.” The Renegades take on the Tri-City Valley Cats and we know you’ll want to be there to cheer them on! At last year’s game over 60 ARCS supporters gathered for a great evening.

For just $20, you’ll get your general admission ticket, a free hot dog, a free soda, and a Renegades baseball cap. Plus, you’ll be making a donation to AIDS-Related Community Services’ programs and services for Mid-Hudson HIV-positive clients and their families. Cheering for the local team means that we’re able to help local people in need!

We will also be collecting non-perishable food items, toiletries and household cleaners for our Poughkeepsie food pantry. The more you bring, the more we’re able to hand out to hungry families.

To purchase your tickets, go to www.gadesgroups.com and enter the password “ARCS” for the special ticket package. All tickets will be held at the VIP table near the ticket window, outside the main entrance. Items for our food pantry can be left at this table.

ARCS’ supporters will be gathering in the first base general admission seating section so we can all cheer on the ‘Gades together!

If you have any questions, please call (914) 785-8283 or email jfernandes@arcs.org. See you at the Stadium!

The conference includes a keynote speech from Darrell P. Wheeler, Ph.D. followed by a Q&A session. The majority of the day will be spent in workshops focused on different segments of the MSM population, and wraps up with a panel discussion on how to continue the dialogue in the future. Continental breakfast and lunch are provided. This conference is provided free of charge to service providers and professionals working with the MSM community.

Deadline to register is June 18, 2010. To register, download and print out this PDF form and mail or fax it to Alice Honeywell at ARCS, 40 Saw Mill River Road, Hawthorne, NY 10532. The fax number is (914) 785-8331. For conference related questions, call Kelly Green at (914) 813-5256 or email her at keg1@westchestergov.com.

For directions to Memorial United Methodist Church, visit www.memorial4all.org. It is located at 250-252 Bryant Avenue in White Plains, NY 10605.

The ARCS team carries our banner through New Paltz at the 2009 Pride March.

LATEST NEWS: View a photo slide show from the New Paltz Pride March and Festival!

June is National LGBTQ Pride Month, and several Hudson Valley communities are carrying on their annual Pride marches and festivals. ARCS participates in these celebrations of diversity and dignity to honor our roots as a spin-off of The LOFT LGBT Community Center, and because of the ongoing HIV/AIDS crisis among men who have sex with men (MSMs).

New studies show that MSMs are newly infected with HIV at a rate 44 times higher than other men…and 40 times higher than women. ARCS has responded to these statistics by successfully creating a new program to educate young MSMs of color. We’re especially proud to be offering enhanced HIV prevention services to guys ages 16 through 24 in Westchester as of June 1st – and we are working hard to secure additional funding to expand the program to the entire Hudson Valley.

If you’re out and about at any of the upcoming LGBTQ Pride events, please stop by and say hi!

This June, you’ll find ARCS’ big red tent at the New Paltz Pride March and Festival on Sunday, June 6th and at Gay Pride Rockland in Nyack on Sunday, June 13th. Please stop by to say hello, pick up some free brochures and condoms, and fill out health surveys that help us plot the course of future programs. There are tons of Pride activities all week long at the Hudson Valley LGBTQ Community Center, (the hosts of New Paltz Pride) so be sure to check them out.

ARCS will also be tabling at the Westchester County LGBT Town Hall meeting on Wednesday, June 9th at the County Center in White Plains from 6:30 to 8:30.

And don’t forget the Valley’s newest Pride event, Hudson Pride! This charming, quirky town has organized its first LGBT Pride march and festival on Sunday, June 20th. The fun kicks off with a sunset cruise on Saturday, June 19th from 7 to 9:30 pm.

For all the latest Pride happenings, be sure to check out our friends at BigGayHudsonValley.com, and for national events visit TheBody.com’s new Pride section.