The Catskill Chronicle

HAWTHORNE, NY – After two years of cuts to its core contracts by New York State government and the closure of long-standing programs, AIDS-Related Community Services (ARCS) announced today the addition of four new services to its roster of comprehensive services. Current funding priorities have focused on bringing underserved populations into the healthcare system, and ARCS is able to draw on its twenty-five years of experience and excellence to deepen its services to those in need.

A new healthcare access and enrollment program reaches out to HIV-positive Hudson Valley residents who are not currently engaged by the healthcare system. Its main objective is to provide outreach and education to enhance early access to quality healthcare for HIV-positive people of color, and to decrease disparities in health outcomes for minority populations. Two healthcare enrollment specialists, one serving the Mid-Hudson region and one operating in Lower Hudson, will outreach to HIV-positive people to enroll them in ADAP (the New York State Department of Health’s AIDS Drug Assistance Program) and other healthcare coverage each year. “We want to let people know what health care options are available to them, especially those who think they don’t have options,” said Liz Lacy, ARCS’ Director of Client Services. “This program will not only connect underserved, low income minorities with medical care, but will also help them understand their test results, the importance of staying adherent to treatment regimens, and link them to other services ARCS can provide.”

ARCS also expanded its successful THRIVES Nutrition program from Orange, Sullivan and Ulster counties to the Lower Hudson region. THRIVES South will ensure that HIV-positive residents of Westchester and Putnam counties and their dependent children have access to nutritional foods that promote health and increase their ability to manage their HIV and the medical complications wrought by its treatment regimens. A nutritional coordinator teaches enrolled clients how to shop for nutritional foods, and supplies them with grocery vouchers to encourage greater independence and healthy food choices.

Project Reach Out (PRO) aims to engage active substance users who are not currently in treatment and connect them to a variety of resources. PRO will operate out of mobile van in Orange, Sullivan and Ulster counties, primarily in those counties’ urban areas. A program supervisor, an outreach specialist and three peer educators will offer and encourage HIV testing, connect those who test positive or are already HIV-positive with extensive medical and support services, and encourage users, especially those who are HIV-positive, to enter recovery and addiction services. Staff will also offer needle exchange through the Expanded Syringe Access Program and health education. With a target of reaching 1,100 individuals, the PRO team will increase access to drug treatment for active users and increase awareness of users’ HIV status.

Finally, the Community Health Alliance for Prevention and Safety (CHAPS) aims to reduce the transmission of HIV/STDs, contribute to improved sexual health and wellness among young men who have sex with men (YMSMs) of color, and provide HIV/STD testing and access to health care and other needed services. CHAPS will concentrate efforts in the more urban areas of Westchester County, chiefly along the southern border (centered on White Plains, Yonkers, Mt. Vernon, and New Rochelle), where much of the county’s population of color is concentrated, while using outreach and intervention strategies adapted to the unique characteristics of Westchester’s gay community. “Young men of color who have sex with other men are at a highly disproportionate risk for HIV infection,” said Trina Hiemcke, ARCS’ Education Director. “A CDC study released in March shows that MSMs are newly infected with HIV at a rate 44 times higher than other men, and 40 times higher than women. We felt compelled to respond locally to this burgeoning crisis.”

For information on these new programs and how to enroll, please visit www.arcs.org or call (914) 345-8888.