The Summer 2010 Edition of The Connection, the AIDS Council of Northeastern New York’s quarterly newsletter, is now available. To download a copy of The Connection, please visit www.aidscouncil.org/publications/ and scroll down to “Publications.” To read the newsletter online, please click HERE.

On Monday, July 27, I was interviewed by WTEN for a story about the impact of the New York State Budget crisis on area not-for-profit organizations. It is crucial that our stakeholders, volunteers, and the people we serve understand the severity of the ongoing budget crisis and how it is impacting our ability to provide life-saving services to people living with HIV/AIDS.

• New York State has been holding funds since April 1, 2010 that are due to select health and human service organizations – including the AIDS Council – for work on contracts performed by these organizations. This policy is apparently designed to spur the New York State Legislature to pass the state’s Fiscal Year 2010-2011 Budget, which is now 118 days late.

• The AIDS Council has not been paid for work performed on existing New York State contracts since April 1, 2010.

• The AIDS Council has not received advances for new and continuing grants from New York State.

• These payments and advances from New York State total more than $900,000, representing nearly 20% of the agency’s $5 million annual budget.

• These payments and advances are not related to the member items that were vetoed by the Governor in early July. They are strictly related to existing and pending contracts that the AIDS Council has with New York State to provide services to people living with HIV/AIDS and prevention and outreach to at-risk communities.

• The funds which have been held by the Division of Budget (DOB) were for contracts that were approved. We are not advocating for new or increased taxes to provide the revenue for these funds.

• The AIDS Council relies on these funds to provide essential services to 600 HIV infected clients and their family members, and to provide prevention and outreach to thousands of people in communities most at risk.

• The AIDS Council has continued providing services as outlined in the existing contracts with New York State, despite the lack of payments. The AIDS Council is, in effect, floating a loan to the New York State government.

• To offset the lack of payments on these contracts, the AIDS Council has utilized 90% of its line of credit. Use of this line of credit incurs interest; these interest payments result in funds that will not go towards services to people living with HIV/AIDS.

• We have held positions due to this lack of payment resulting in a reduction in services to the community.

• Without payments on existing and new state contracts, the AIDS Council will experience a negative cash flow by October 1, 2010. This threatens the ability of the agency to serve as the HIV infrastructure in Northeastern New York.

• The AIDS Council is the New York State-designated Community Service Provider for HIV/AIDS services and prevention in the 15-county region known as Northeastern New York. By refusing to release payments the Governor’s Office and DOB are stating that they are willing to sacrifice providing essential services to people living with HIV/AIDS.

You can make a difference by taking action in the following ways today:

1. Call the Governor’s Office at 518.474.8390 and urge him to release the funds owed to the AIDS Council immediately.

2. Consider making a gift to the AIDS Council’s Annual Fund, which will help bridge the funding gap and allow the AIDS Council to continue providing life-saving services in your community. You can make a secure online gift by logging on to www.aidscouncil.org/help/ and clicking “Donate Now.”

Thank you for your ongoing support for our mission. Together, we can take action and weather this crisis.

This year’s Dining Out for Life® event was a resounding success. We had our best year ever, raising more than $42,000. This total exceeds last year’s $31,000 by 35%, with contributions from diners increasing by 52% over last year. In a year when unemployment is high and restaurant profits are down, this is an amazing achievement.

This year’s top five restaurants were:

Top Venues (Total of Restaurant & Diner Contributions)
New World Bistro Bar (Albany): $2,419.00
El Loco Mexican Café (Albany): $2,196.35
Aperitivo Bistro (Schenectady): $1,599.74
Hattie’s™ Restaurant (Saratoga Springs): $1,463.25
Tiznow Restaurant (Saratoga Springs): $1,345.75

Click here to view the entire list.

Thank you for helping us make history! Which restaurants would you like to see participate in next year’s Dining Out for Life® on Thursday, April 28th, 2010? Let us know in the comments.

Interested in being a Dining Out For Life® Ambassador? Ambassadors have the most exciting and important role in Dining Out For Life®: getting people out to eat! To help make next year’s event a success, please contact Melissa Brown at mbrown@aidscouncil.org or 518.434.4686 Ext. 2415.

On Sunday, June 20, 2010, more than 125 individuals gathered in the gardens of Forth House, a recently-restored historic home in Livingston, New York. Their goal: to raise awareness and funds for the AIDS Council of Northeastern New York.

They succeeded with flying colors, raising more than $28,000 to support the AIDS Council’s Client Services Emergency Fund and Prevention and Outreach efforts throughout Columbia and Greene Counties.

In her remarks, Executive Director Michele McClave noted: “The funds raised here today are so important in supporting The AIDS Council’s work in Columbia and Greene Counties, and throughout the other 13 counties of Northeastern New York. It will help us support those who are infected and provide them with the tools to achieve milestones in their lives that we could not have comprehended in the early years of the epidemic. Unfortunately, AIDS is not in the forefront of our society’s mind, and many actually believe that AIDS has been cured. Still others think that the pharmaceutical advances in the past 15 years have made the disease easy to manage and easy to live with. These beliefs and misperceptions make our work more difficult and more urgent than ever before.”

McClave also discussed the AIDS Council’s work specific to Columbia County, including its HIV/STD testing in the migrant worker population, its expanded women’s services, and the agency’s continued outreach to the LGBT and MSM communities. She also said, “At our office in Hudson – not far from [Livingston] – our case manager meets with clients and works one-on-one to reduce barriers to maintaining their course of treatment. We connect clients with responsive care and provide transportation to essential appointments, we provide emergency financial assistance, assist clients in obtaining and maintaining safe and affordable housing, and also help clients decipher medical paperwork and maneuver through the complex health care system. We work with individuals re-entering the community from prisons, jails, or treatment facilities. From A to Z, the AIDS Council provides a continuum of life-saving and life-changing services right here in Columbia County.”

McClave acknowledged the generosity of the event’s hosts, Jim Joseph and Scott Frankel, for their gracious hospitality and for their willingness to open their gardens to the AIDS Council and its guests. Special recognition was given to Robert Montgomery, a member of the AIDS Council’s Board of Directors, and volunteer Peter Bevacqua, both of whom helped to coordinate and fundraise for the event.

Photos from the event are available at www.aidscouncil.org/upcomingevents/ccgardenparty.php.

While the issue of health insurance access affects millions of Americans, people living with HIV/AIDS face additional obstacles in obtaining the medical services, prescription drugs, and specialty care they need to manage their disease. More than a dozen different health insurance coverage programs exist for people living with HIV/AIDS, each with their own complicated set of eligibility requirements. The AIDS Council found that a major barrier to accessing healthcare for our clients is a lack of awareness and understanding of the many programs—we are addressing this barrier by providing direct community outreach and education to high risk individuals and staff of service provider organizations.

In an effort to assist our clients in navigating the healthcare system, the AIDS Council launched an innovative new program, the Health Insurance Access Program (HIAP) on January 1, 2010. Through a grant from the New York State Department of Health AIDS Institute, the AIDS Council is able to respond to the growing need for health insurance among our clients, many of whom are living in poverty and are uninsured or underinsured. HIAP will primarily target communities of color in Albany, Columbia, Greene, Montgomery, Rensselaer and Schenectady counties. HIAP is the first program of its kind in our region and the AIDS Council is the only organization in the area that is able to offer these services.

For a person living with HIV/AIDS who may already be facing complicated treatment regimens and difficulty meeting basic needs, the prospect of figuring out how to pay for healthcare can be overwhelming. HIAP provides clients with a single source for enrolling in health insurance programs that will ensure they have access to and are able to pay for services and medications. Clients will receive assistance with deciphering complicated forms, filling out documentation, contacting healthcare providers, transportation to and from medical appointments, and anything they need to access healthcare. In addition, the AIDS Council is working in the community to distribute information about the various healthcare options that are relevant for our clients (AIDS Drug Assistance Program, Healthy New York, Child Health Plus, etc.).

For more information about HIAP, please contact Sherry Piscitella, Director of Client Services, at 518-434-4686.

Travis O’Donnell is the Grants Manager for the AIDS Council. He has seven years experience in non-profit administration, fundraising, and grant writing. He is responsible for the management of over 3M dollars in state, federal, and foundation grants and for seeking new sources of funding from government and private sources.

Last year, I had the pleasure of serving as a Dining Out for Life® Ambassador for the first time. I decided early on to bring my nine year old daughter, Hailey, with me the night of the event. I have tried to involve her in community service from a very young age. I feel strongly that teaching our children, who in many cases are blessed with wanting for nothing, to give back to those less fortunate. A few days prior to the event, I had an age appropriate conversation about HIV/AIDS and what the AIDS Council does for people affected with these diseases. I told her all about the event and how all the donations would go right to people who live in our area to help them.

As we drove to the restaurant, I admit I was a little nervous. How would diners react to our approaching their tables? Would we receive warm reception? Would this be a good experience for my daughter? Well, my fears were quickly calmed. The restaurant staff was wonderful and the guests were all very nice to both of us. Of course, Hailey was all dressed up, looking cute as could be, and really came out of her shell to talk to people. She is a bit shy, but not that night. As we made the rounds to guests, she all but took over! After I explained about Dining Out for Life®, she would hand out the materials and then go back to collect the envelopes. I could see from our table, the little conversations she had with guests. Warm smiles and generous contributions followed. Some guests knew about the event and were dining out with this in mind. Those that did not were happy to hear about the event and glad that they decided to eat out on that particular evening.

As tonight approaches, Hailey and I are glad to be ambassadors again this year. Tonight we will be at a new restaurant, but the nerves are gone and we are looking forward to a great evening. I think that Dining Out for Life® is a great way to raise funds for the AIDS Council and the experience of being an ambassador will stay with me and Hailey for a long time to come.

Alicia Sikora is the Marketing Manager for CapitalCare Medical Group. The AIDS Council thanks her and her daughter for the continued volunteerism and support.

If you answered yes to both of these questions, you would make a great Ambassador for the AIDS Council’s 7th Annual Dining Out for Life® event.

On April, 29, 2010, participating restaurants will donate a minimum of 25% of their food sales to benefit the AIDS Council’s prevention and client services programs. Dining Out For Life® raises vital funds to provide services for people living with HIV/AIDS in our community.

In order to make this event a success, the AIDS Council is looking for fun, energetic people, who love to dine out to act as Ambassadors. Ambassadors perform two important roles in Dining Out For Life®:

1. Before the event, they encourage friends, family, business associates, clients and potential clients to dine out at their chosen restaurant on Dining Out For Life® day. We will help you with this by providing you with training, materials, and an email invite that you can easily send out to all your contacts.

2. On the day of the event, Ambassadors serve as a representative for the AIDS Council at their chosen restaurant, greeting diners and thanking them for their participation – this is the fun part, especially since the Ambassador has filled the restaurant with people he or she already knows! (An Ambassador’s “shift” is generally a few hours during breakfast, lunch or dinner, based on the participating restaurant’s schedule and the Ambassador’s availability.) Ambassadors also hand out drawing envelopes to diners, and encourage diners to make a contribution to the AIDS Council.

We encourage you to partner with a co-Ambassador of your choice or we can pair you with someone. A training session will be provided. Restaurant selections will be determined on a first come, first served basis. To volunteer, please contact Melissa Brown, Special Event Coordinator, at 518.434.4686, Ext. 2415 or mbrown@aidscouncil.org.

Click here to view a list of participating restaurants and to find out more ways you can help.

March 10th is National Women and Girls HIV Awareness Day. This day marks an opportunity to increase awareness of the effects of AIDS on women, a segment that is often overlooked.

Women currently account for more than one quarter of all new HIV/AIDS diagnoses in the U.S., and every 35 minutes another woman tests positive for HIV. HIV/AIDS also deeply impacts women globally. Worldwide it is the leading cause of death and disease in women aged 15-44. Most women are infected with HIV through heterosexual contact and injection drug use. Women of color are disproportionately affected by HIV/AIDS. AIDS is now the leading cause of death for Black women ages 25 to 34.

In honor of National Women and Girls HIV Awareness Day, the AIDS Council of Northeastern New York will be offering a week of free, confidential HIV testing and STD screening at various locations in the Capital District including our Albany and Schenectady offices. Click here for the complete testing list.

Malissa Pilette-McClenon is the Marketing Coordinator for the AIDS Council of Northeastern New York. With a background in event planning, graphic design, and a degree in English from the State University of New York University at Albany, Malissa brings a passion for design, structure, and form to the Marketing Department. She applauds the work of the AIDS Council and is excited to be part of their mission to reduce the risk, fear, and incidence of HIV infection.

Don’t forget the condom! That’s the AIDS Council of Northeastern New York’s message in our new Public Service Announcement (PSA). The PSA – which features several AIDS Council employees – urges college-aged students and young professionals to include condoms in their going-out check list.

The AIDS Council has been providing free condoms at more than 50 locations for the past year. The PSA was created to make sure people are aware of their availability and to encourage young adults to protect themselves against HIV and STDs. The PSA was filmed on location at The Bayou Café by WTEN.

Two AIDS Council employees, Christine Verderese and Brandy Parker, had starring roles in the PSA. “It was a whirlwind of fun and excitement. It was fun to perform in something that works toward the greater good,” said Christine. “Working with WTEN was great and made the process fun. They had a great team of people that worked on this PSA, making the experience all the more enjoyable.”

When asked why she wanted to be involved in the filming, Brandy commented, “Being a part of the PSA was great because the message was realistic and honest. It provided me an opportunity to promote a message that can possibly reduce some risks and maybe even save some lives.”

The PSA will be running on WTEN periodically for the next several months. Or, view it right now on our YouTube page. Click here for a complete list of Free Condom in Albany locations.

Opinions, questions, comments? What do you think of the new PSA?

Malissa Pilette-McClenon is the Marketing Coordinator for the AIDS Council of Northeastern New York. With a background in event planning, graphic design, and a degree in English from the State University of New York University at Albany, Malissa brings a passion for design, structure, and form to the Marketing Department. She applauds the work of the AIDS Council and is excited to be part of their mission to reduce the risk, fear, and incidence of HIV infection.

You have probably heard through the local media that Catholic Charities AIDS Services’ established Project Safe Point, a syringe exchange program. Project Safe Point provides active substance users access to clean needles, an important method of preventing the spread of HIV and hepatitis. Project Safe Point allows drug users to turn in used syringes, which will be disposed of properly, in exchange for new ones. What has been absent from the majority of the media coverage is the AIDS Council’s involvement in Project Safe Point, and how our staff is working with Catholic Charities staff to provide active substance users free HIV testing and referral to treatment for their addictions.

The point of the program is prevention. Project Safe Point will provide an opportunity for our Peer Associates to provide outreach to recruit clients and promote the program in communities most at-risk. Additionally, we will provide HIV testing and Hepatitis C screening in the Project Safe Point mobile unit, and Transitional Case Management – facilitating recovery readiness and access into substance abuse treatment – in the mobile unit. Our involvement will also include providing individualized risk-reduction counseling, resources, and referrals to participants.

Some of the biggest controversy surrounding Project Safe Point is the fear that this program will contribute to greater drug use because the needles will now be easily available. In March 1997, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Institute of Medicine reported that needle exchange programs contribute to about 80 percent reduction in risk behaviors in injection drug users and 30 percent or greater reduction of HIV transmission. The NIH also went further to say that there is a significant amount of evidence to show that needle exchanges do not encourage the use of illicit drugs. Additionally, in 1999 the Department of Epidemiology conducted a study that found that needle exchange users are three times more likely than non-users to seek detoxification treatment to try to end their drug use.

Project Safe Point will allow us to continue our mission to reduce the risk, fear, and incidence of HIV infection, and we applaud Catholic Charities AIDS Services for providing this needed intervention to the community. The lifetime cost to treat an individual with HIV is more than 1 million dollars. Project Safe Point gives us the opportunity to take cost-effective preventative steps to stop the spread of the disease. For more information on Project Safe Point, please visit http://www.ccaidsalbany.org/client-services/project-safe-point.

Opinions, questions, comments? What do you think of the new Project Safe Point program?

Malissa Pilette-McClenon is the Marketing Coordinator for the AIDS Council of Northeastern New York. With a background in event planning, graphic design, and a degree in English from the State University of New York University at Albany, Malissa brings a passion for design, structure, and form to the Marketing Department. She applauds the work of the AIDS Council and is excited to be part of their mission to reduce the risk, fear, and incidence of HIV infection.