Alliance is proud to have been featured in local and national TV, print, radio, and podcast news outlets in recent years.
Our diverse leadership team has shared their subject matter expertise on topics including HIV/AIDS, COVID-19, Peer support, harm reduction, housing assistance, and more. Program participants and Peers also generously share their personal stories of positive change.
Check out some of our favorite stories!
TV Features
“I found out, myself, that I was positive in 2005… and I wasn’t comfortable with it. I lied about it. I told people it was cancer because I wasn’t ready to face it,” said Forrest Boggs, Recovery Coach for Alliance for Positive Change.
“I think the program not only prevailed but thrived, which is really quite extraordinary. People need us now more than ever, so we felt like we were frontline workers, we needed to go out there and do the job,” said Peter Soter, Prevention Navigator.
“FOX Five’s Hero of the Day is Alliance for Positive Change, an organization that has been fighting the HIV/AIDS epidemic in NYC for over 30 years. In 2020 they distributed 9,200 grab-and-go meals, 2,100 pantries items, and 3,300 food vouchers.“
“Fast forward 30 years, we have access to treatment, but the challenge is to ensure that people who are living with HIV get tested, know their status, and are navigated to access the medical care they need”—Alliance CEO Sharen Duke.
Print, Radio & Podcast Features
“Organically, we began to address and learn about these other chronic health conditions. We took our HIV model of care and expanded it to address other chronic conditions,” said Sharen Duke, CEO.
“Ending new infections doesn’t end the need for services and treatment for people with the virus, we are going to be living with the virus for 10, 20, 30, 40 years into the future,” said Sharen Duke, CEO.
“The most important thing I learned is that I can do whatever it takes to help others without forgetting about self-care. Now that this step is over, I will follow the advice of my trainers,” said Luis Viera, Peer Graduate.
Toler didn’t leave for a long time, spending 32 years at the hospital during his celebrated career…People noticed his efforts — including President Carter, who once cold-called Toler at work with an offer that he couldn’t refuse.
The first ever Lifesaver Awards Ceremony…will honor 67 people…including Reilly Glasgow, who has saved more than 40 people. “We are unjudgmental here. We are unbiased. Everybody gets treated with dignity and respect,” Glasgow said.
There are many reasons for this, but poverty, unequal access to healthcare and employment, stigma, racism, sexism, and unequal access to education all play key roles. Injecting drug use also contributes, particularly among MSM, trans women, and Latinx people.
“As Duke — who was a 2018 Gay City News Impact Award honoree — concentrates on steering her organization’s response to the coronavirus, she has drawn on her memories of the darkest hours of the AIDS crisis in New York.”
“With Alliance on the Move, we are thrilled to be bringing some of our key services—including HIV and STI testing, linkage to care, and support for people struggling with substance use—into some of the highest-need neighborhoods in New York City,” said Sharen Duke, CEO.
Media Inquiries
If you are a member of the press seeking information about Alliance programs and events, or wish to speak with us for an upcoming story, please contact communications@alliance.nyc
“The root of the problem is a pre-pandemic Cuomo-era initiative to change its Medicaid prescription drug benefit…I can say with absolute certainty that if implemented, the carve-out would devastate integrated care for millions of New Yorkers,” said Sharen Duke.
“What sets The Alliance for Positive Change apart is its offering of a full package of services for peer education, from group training to individual support and job placement, as a part of a compendium of services…PREP is “‘an immersive program.’”
“We bring the testing services to the community, where people may not have the opportunity to come to our office. The van is retrofitted for COVID-19, we have partitions, it’s very safe. You get your test results in about 20 minutes” said Guy Williams, Director of Prevention.
“When I first walked in there, I wasn’t the person I am now… I fell into a major depression. The Alliance took me under their wing, they helped me get back into school,” said Diane Delph-Tinglin, Peer Trainer…“It’s not just about your meds, the social aspect is a big part of it.”
