Policy

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Alliance for Positive Change Partners with Assembly Member Harvey Epstein to Host Overdose Prevention Training for Older Adults

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On Tuesday, November 19, the nonprofit Alliance for Positive Change partnered with New York State Assembly Member Harvey Epstein’s office to train older adults to reverse drug overdoses by administering Naloxone.

Over 20 older adults and student nurses learned how to identify an overdose and administer Naloxone at the 2024 Aging Safely in Our Community Health Fair at the Stein Older Adult Center, which was developed and staged by student nurses from the Hunter-Bellevue School of Nursing of The City University of New York.

Alliance Narcan trainer Eliot teaches seniors and nursing students how to recognize and respond to an overdose

Recent data from the CDC shows that overdose deaths have decreased by 14% nationwide in the past year. Experts attribute this progress in part to expanded access to harm reduction tools like Naloxone, which is now available over the counter. Still, older adults remain particularly susceptible to overdose due to factors such as higher rates of chronic pain conditions, social isolation, and stigma.

Opioid overdose reversal medication can be used by non-medical professionals to temporarily reverse the effects of opioids, such as heroin or fentanyl, particularly in situations of overdose. Alliance conducts over 100 overdose prevention trainings annually for the community, corporations, local businesses, and elected officials.

“We are proud to partner with Assembly Member Harvey Epstein’s office to promote the health and safety of older New Yorkers,” said Ramona Cummings, Chief Program Officer at Alliance for Positive Change. “We have seen encouraging data showing that the expansion of harm reduction resources is helping to turn the tide of the overdose crisis. We must persist in our work together to reach communities that continue to be most impacted by overdose.“

“We know a harm reduction model is very effective when it comes to preventing overdose deaths due to opioid use and knowing how to administer Naloxone is a critical tool. We are fortunate to have organizations like Alliance for Positive Change doing the important work of keeping our communities safe through education and connections to services that address the root causes of public health crises. I want to thank them for their leadership and for training members of our community to be prepared in the event of an overdose,” said Assemblymember Harvey Epstein.

Alliance and Assemblymember Epstein previously collaborated for a Narcan training for his district office staff.

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Sharen Duke Selected Again as Crain’s Notable in Health Care

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Crain’s New York Business has selected Alliance for Positive Change founding Executive Director and CEO Sharen Duke as a 2024 Notable in Health Care, noting that this year’s honorees “have distinguished themselves through their expertise and innovation.”Sharen was also recognized in Crain’s in 2021 as a Notable Leader in Health Care.

“Sharen Duke is executive director and chief executive ocer of Alliance for Positive Change, a nonprot that provides low-income New Yorkers living with HIV and other chronic conditions with access to quality health care, housing, harm reduction, coaching, peer training and job placements. She oversees a team of more than 150 people while managing a multimillion dollar budget.”

You can view the full list here (subscription required for access) - https://www.crainsnewyork.com/awards/sharen-duke-notable-leaders-health-care-2024

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Alliance for Positive Change Statement on FDA’s Approval of OTC Narcan

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 29, 2023

Contacts: Sophie Crumpacker, sophie@anatgerstein.com, 347-361-7128 // Lauren Mannerberg, lauren@anatgerstein.com, 929-553-7702

(New York, NY)- Alliance for Positive Change issued the following statement in response to today’s announcement by the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) to make Narcan, a medication that rapidly reverses opioid overdoses, available over the counter:

“Alliance for Positive Change applauds the Federal Drug Administration’s decision to make Narcan available without a prescription. In New York City, the overdose crisis has reached historic levels—2,668 individuals died of a drug overdose in 2021, an increase of 78 percent since 2019 and 27 percent since 2020. We know that getting this safe and easy-to-use medication into the hands of more New Yorkers will save lives.

However, people who do not have the resources to purchase Narcan will likely continue to face barriers to accessing it. We hope that over-the-counter Narcan will be covered by private and public insurance plans, and that this decision motivates local and federal leaders to invest in programs that provide free harm reduction resources in communities most impacted by the overdose crisis. At the Alliance LES Harm Reduction Center, we are proud to provide free Narcan trainings and kits to equip thousands of people to administer it in the event of an overdose. Community providers like Alliance will continue to play a critical role in providing free, culturally competent, nonjudgmental harm reduction services, including Narcan.

Finally, Narcan is just one tool in a suite of harm reduction options that are often misunderstood or stigmatized. We hope this decision will lead to expanded access to other evidence-based interventions, like fentanyl test strips and syringe exchanges.”

About Alliance for Positive Change

Alliance for Positive Change is a leading multiservice organization that provides low-income New Yorkers living with HIV/AIDS and other chronic conditions with access to quality health care, housing, harm reduction, coaching, and our renowned peer training and job placement program that cultivates leadership and economic mobility. Alliance opened in 1991, at the height of the HIV crisis—a welcoming community of transformation and opportunity. Today, we deliver on the promise of Positive Change with services and resources that equip people to navigate systemic inequities and achieve health and well-being. Learn about all the ways we inspire Positive Change at www.alliance.nyc.

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Alliance Joins The Bronx Social Justice and Anti-Violence Forums to Discuss 340B Pharmacy Carveout

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Alliance’s Program Manager of Criminal Justice Initiative, Eugene Eppes, and Director of Administration, Brooke Montes spoke with host Daren Jaime about how the 340B pharmacy carveout threatens public health, as well as how to make your voice heard before the deadline of April 1.

“Health inquiries were really exacerbated and highlighted during the pandemic, so to take [the pharmacy benefit] from the people who need it, who were the hardest hit from the pandemic,” explains Brooke. “Our very own Senator Rivera of the Bronx has introduced a bill, S5136, and our Health Chairs in the Senate and the Assembly have put a rejection in the one house budget." Supporters are encouraged to contact their legislators and urge them to reject the carveout today.

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Arnaldo Jara's op-ed opposing cuts to the Health Homes Program

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Arnaldo Jara, Alliance's Director of outposting care management, penned an op-ed in Lohud calling on New York State to reject a misleading proposal to “Recalibrate the Health Home Program.” This proposal would strip services for thousands of Medicaid participants with chronic health conditions, throwing them out of the Health Home program after 9 months and jeopardizing their wellbeing. Arnaldo writes, in part:

"We hope the governor will stand by her commitment to fortify New York’s health care system and improve the continuum of care by investing in the Health Home model, not destroying it."

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NYC Health Commissioner pens op-ed opposing the 340B Pharmacy benefit carveout

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Alliance has long opposed the “Cuomo carveout” which would devastate community health centers like ours, and deprive our participants of essential services. As further proof that the carve out is totally misguided and out of step with the needs of New Yorkers, New York City Health Commissioner Ashwin Vasan published an op-ed today in support of stopping the carve-out, writing, in part:

“Safety net providers, hospitals and other 340B entities throughout the state have used this program to offer critical medical care and help connect underserved, low-income patients to an array of supportive services that allow them to live longer, healthier lives…Each crisis underscores the importance of our safety net. The carve-out will rip a hole in this net, and many will fall through the cracks, exacerbating inequities and hindering progress in preventing disease. State legislators should repeal this policy and allow 340B entities to continue receiving savings”

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Alliance and Save NY's Safety Net Rally for Community Health in Albany

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This Tuesday, Valentine’s Day 2023, over a dozen Alliance staff, Peers, and program participants joined 100 allies from fellow community health providers to protest the state’s plan to carve out Medicaid benefits for 8 million New Yorkers.

“Without intervention by April 1, safety net providers will lose critical resources to care for our communities. The pharmacy benefit program funds services for over 1,000 people at Alliance, alone. Cutting this funding would be a massive moral failure of government.”
— Brenda Starks-Ross, COO, Alliance
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Alliance Provides Narcan Training to New York State Assembly Member Harvey Epstein and District Staff

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(New York, N.Y.)— Alliance for Positive Change partnered with New York State Assembly Member Harvey Epstein’s office to provide an in-person training on how to identify and reverse drug overdoses by administering Naloxone. The Assembly Member and his district staff members received their Naloxone responder kits yesterday at his Avenue B office. Opioid overdose reversal medication can be used by non-medical professionals to temporarily reverse the effects of opioids, such as heroin or fentanyl, particularly in situations of overdose. The nonprofit conducts over 100 overdose prevention trainings annually for the community, corporations, local businesses, and elected officials.

The overdose crisis has become one of the most pressing issues of our time; opioid overdose is now the leading cause of accidental death in the United States, and overdose deaths reached historic highs in New York City during the ongoing COVID-19 crisis.  

The NYC Department of Health & Mental Hygiene reports that in the first two quarters of 2021, there were 1,233 overdose deaths in New York City, compared to 965 overdose deaths during the same period in 2020. COVID, combined with the rising prevalence of fentanyl, led to over 100,000 Americans losing their lives to drug overdoses from May 2020 to April 2021, up almost 30% from the previous year. We must give all New Yorkers the tools to protect against overdose.

“We are proud to partner with Assembly Member Harvey Epstein’s office to promote the health and safety of New Yorkers,” says Alliance for Positive Change Chief Program Officer of Prevention Services Ramona Cummings. “New York City is facing the same overdose crisis as many regions across our country, and we thank the Assembly Member and his staff for recognizing the need to gain the skills to prevent unnecessary deaths. We must work together to end this crisis.”

“The most complex public health challenges require all of us to play a part. We know a harm reduction model is very effective when it comes to preventing overdose deaths due to opioid use and knowing how to administer Narcan is a critical tool. We’re lucky to have organizations like Alliance for Positive Change doing the important work of keeping our communities safe through education and connections to services that address the root causes of public health crises. I want to thank them for their leadership and for training our staff,” said Assemblymember Harvey Epstein.

Founded more than 30 years ago amid the height of the AIDS epidemic, Alliance is a leading multiservice organization that provides low-income New Yorkers living with HIV/AIDS and other chronic conditions with access to quality health care, housing, harm reduction, and job training. Alliance meets people where they are to access qualified healthcare, reduce risk, and explore harm reduction or recovery at their own pace. Alliance’s clinical interventions and supportive services include one-on-one counseling and coaching, education, and syringe exchange services.

About Alliance for Positive Change

Alliance for Positive Change is a leading multiservice organization that provides low-income New Yorkers living with HIV/AIDS and other chronic conditions with access to quality health care, housing, harm reduction, coaching, and renowned peer training and job placement programs that cultivate leadership and economic mobility. Alliance opened in 1991, at the height of the HIV crisis—a welcoming community of transformation and opportunity. Today, Alliance delivers on the promise of Positive Change with services and resources that equip people to navigate systemic inequities and achieve health and well-being. Learn about all the ways we inspire Positive Change at www.alliance.nyc

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Alliance COO Brenda Starks-Ross and Save New York Safety Net Coalition Fight Cuomo Carve Out

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“It’s imperative to have someone help them navigate through the system to make sure that all their needs are met so they can remain healthy,” said COO Brenda Starks-Ross in NY State of Politics on Tuesday, October 25. The article features several members of organizations comprising the Save New York Safety Net Coalition. With the SNYSN, we have staged rallies every month since June and gone up to Albany to rally against “The Cuomo Carve Out” which is scheduled to go into effect Spring 2023.