1. Tell us a little about yourself, who you are, what you do, and what brought you to Alliance?
John: I am Alliance’s Director of IT & Operations. I started with Alliance in 2001 as a case manager. It was my dream job to be able to help people. I had the opportunity to get into the technology field and Sharen, Alliance’s CEO, encouraged me to get my certification. I am fascinated by technology and love building and tinkering with electronics. I am proud that these 20 years later I now have my dream job with an amazing organization. I am a happy guy with three beautiful children and a wonderful wife.
Conrad: I am a native New Yorker. I am responsible for Alliance’s Midtown Central facilities. I supervise the security, reception, cleaning, and maintenance staff. My relationship with Alliance goes back to 2005. At that time, I was the Head Coach of Team New York Aquatics, which was the largest LBGT+ adult competitive swim team on the planet. Alliance was the recipient of the team’s annual fundraising in support of the HIV advocacy event, the One Hour Swim. This established a great friendship between the team and the work of the Alliance. The team has given to Alliance, through the One Hour Swim, many times over the years, including the past year of the pandemic. In 2013, I had the opportunity to interview for a job at the Alliance. I remain a substitute coach for TNYA and worked to deepen the relationship over the years between the work of the Alliance and friends of the agency and the athletes on the team.
Steven: My name is Steven Jones, I am 50 years old, and I work as the Security/Operations Assistant Manager. I came to the Alliance looking for help after moving from California. I had no job, no medical coverage, and no one to turn to.
2. Tell me about your department and what has changed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
John: I feel blessed to have such a dedicated team. Even though the IT profession can attract technical communicators, our organization is people-based, and it makes me proud to see my colleagues develop their skills and come out of their shells. Both our operations and IT staff have been steadfast throughout the pandemic. It caught us all by surprise and turned everything upside down. We had to transition over 300 employees to remote work and outfit all six of our offices with new safety measures and round-the-clock cleaning and sanitation. My team was always available throughout the pandemic – never taking a break. They are all champions in my mind!
Conrad: My department continued to show up throughout the pandemic even though much of the time I was just by myself. Someone needed to check on the facility, make sure the lights were turned off, that plants were watered, and check the mail and messages. I rode my bicycle to work every day throughout the pandemic from March 2020 to December 2020 when people began to safely return to Midtown Central on World AIDS Day. I have seen the transition back, from limited visitors to almost normal operations now, up close.
Steven: I helped oversee the day-to-day operations that kept Midtown Central running. When COVID-19 hit, our clients were afraid to return, and normal interactions were impossible due to social distancing and PPE. I help make sure that everyone who enters our building is protected and feels safe to return. I am proud to be our first line of defense against COVID-19.
3. Is there an achievement or contribution to your department you are particularly proud of?
John: I am so proud of my team and being able to be part of their professional growth. Everyone who has come through my department has taken opportunities to develop new skills and advance their careers. I love to inspire everyone I work with and it inspires me to be part of their journeys. I try to keep my team motivated to give their best each and every day and keep reaching for the next goal.
Conrad: We had a major building maintenance issue on top of dealing with the trauma of the pandemic. For months I had to supervise a crew and maintain calm. I am proud I kept the necessary chaos to a minimum, so the staff could return in a rational and controlled manner, with little to worry about.
Steven: I am proud that I am able to contribute and keep the agency running during this pandemic which allows people to be safe.
4. If you could do anything in addition to what you are doing now, what would it be?
John: I would be sailing on a yacht, of course! But in all seriousness, I am extremely happy and love my work. Not only do I get to work with new technology, I also get to be involved with construction projects and operations workflows – all of my interests! I love to make things work and to tinker. In my free time, I love to build and program drones. It is so rewarding to watch a drone fly!
Conrad: I wish I could travel more, helping other organizations with their traumatic facility issues. This is because I love to travel generally. Even Upstate New York.
Steven: When I go for lunch I always see people in need and my reaction is to let them know where I work and that there is help. Throughout the week I bring at least two or three of people in need to the agency. I would love to do more to be an ambassador for the agency bringing news for what help is out there.
New York Daily News: Alliance for Positive Change leading the fight against overdose deaths
On Sunday, August 15, 2021, the New York Daily News wrote a feature story about the COVID-19-influenced spike in overdose deaths, and the tireless work of staff like Alliance LES Harm Reduction Center’s Shantae Owens.
Learn more about how Alliance is caring for our community during the coronavirus outbreak here: www.alliance.nyc/coronavirus and support our work by giving to the Coronavirus Support Fund today!
WFUV Cityscape features Alliance’s Floyd Mitchell
Alliance harm reduction coordinator Floyd Mitchell spoke with WFUV’s Cityscape about the surge in opioid use, and how Alliance’s work has become even more vital. While social distance requirements have made it difficult to keep some program participants involved on a path to positive change, Floyd and his colleagues are adapting to ensure we keep promoting positive change.
Alliance’s Floyd Mitchell in Gotham Gazette
“I know what it’s like to be on the front lines of an infectious disease,” Floyd Mitchell, a harm reduction counselor at Alliance for Positive Change writes for the Gotham Gazette. “This time, it’s the twin tragedy of the dramatic rise in overdose deaths amid the pandemic due to the anxiety and isolation of life during lockdown.”
Beginning his career in harm reduction at the height of the HIV epidemic in the 1980’s, Floyd has seen it all, and understands the measures we must all take to support our neighbors battling substance use in these difficult times.
Alliance's “PATH to Jobs” Program Included in Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney’s Top Ten Requests For Community Project Funding
—Innovative workforce development program puts New Yorkers in need on path to economic mobility; now eligible for $1 million in federal funding—
(New York, N.Y.)—U.S. Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney (New York’s 12th Congressional District) has selected Alliance for Positive Change’s “PATH to Jobs” peer workforce development program as one of the top ten projects she has submitted for federal Community Project Funding for FY2022. If chosen, the program will receive $1 million to vastly increase Alliance’s career readiness and job placement services, helping significantly more New Yorkers along their journeys toward recovery and economic independence.
“I thank Alliance for Positive Change and Sharen Duke, along with the entire dedicated staff, for hosting me at their facility,” Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney said. “Every aspect of the Alliance’s mission is deeply committed to improving the lives of New Yorkers living with HIV/AIDS and other chronic illnesses. They have created an environment that both helps and heals adults of all ages and backgrounds who are struggling to secure healthcare, jobs services, and nutritional support. It is incumbent upon legislators like myself to support organizations like Alliance for Positive Change and ensure they get the funding they need to continue the great work they are doing to help the people of New York City, especially as we recover from the COVID-19 crisis.”
“I am fiercely proud and often awed by the courage and tenacity of our Peers, making positive changes in their own lives, and then ‘paying it forward’ to help others,” said Sharen I. Duke, Alliance CEO & Executive Director. “Alliance is profoundly grateful for Congresswoman Maloney’s leadership and dedication to New Yorkers, and honored by the Congresswoman’s visit to Alliance, seeing us in action, and meeting the Peers who partner with us to provide training and support through the PATH to Jobs program.”
Founded 30 years ago amid the early years of the AIDS epidemic, Alliance serves low-income New Yorkers with a range of chronic health conditions and substance use challenges, offering them medical care, harm reduction, peer support, and housing assistance in their path towards health and stability. Since 1992, Alliance’s PATH to Jobs has provided career readiness and job placement services, including vocational education, coaching, supervision, training, benefits counseling about the impact of employment on public entitlements, and support in successfully attaining and sustaining employment.
Graduates of this program find job placement opportunities in health and social service agencies across New York, and at Alliance—which has built its own Peer workforce, employing 130+ Peer workers trained by the program each year.
Scaling Alliance’s PATH to Jobs program will facilitate the creation of a centralized career readiness and job placement program across New York City. State certified Peer workers will be placed in part-time and full-time jobs in: managed care companies and Medicaid Health Homes; hospitals and community health centers; HIV service agencies; STD clinics; syringe exchange/opioid overdose prevention programs; substance use treatment clinics; supportive housing programs; and community-based organizations of all kinds.
About The Alliance for Positive Change
The Alliance for Positive Change supports lasting, positive change among low-income New Yorkers living with HIV/AIDS and other chronic illnesses. Focusing on underserved communities of color, our culturally competent, multilingual services remove structural barriers to accessing quality medical care, managing/overcoming substance use, escaping homelessness, and achieving economic mobility. We address the underlying issues that contribute to health inequity through individualized, full-service support based on a harm reduction approach designed to help New Yorkers lead healthier, more self-sufficient lives. Because everyone deserves the chance to feel better, live better, and do better. Learn more at www.alliance.nyc.
Alliance Executive Director/CEO Sharen Duke Selected as Crain’s Notable in Health Care
Crain’s New York Business has selected Alliance for Positive Change founding Executive Director and CEO Sharen Duke as a 2021 Notable in Health Care, noting that this year’s honorees “have distinguished themselves through their expertise and innovation.”
“We cannot understate the role of the city’s healthcare professionals in helping us emerge from the pandemic,” Crain’s wrote in introducing the honorees. “This year’s Notable in Healthcare edition recognizes their efforts in bringing us to this moment, as well as their numerous contributions apart from the crisis.”
You can view the full list here (subscription required for access) - https://www.crainsnewyork.com/awards/notable-health-care-2021
In its recognition of Sharen Duke, Crain’s described Alliance’s commitment to supporting New Yorkers during the pandemic, including the delivery of personal protective equipment, pantry items, nutrition information and food gift cards.
“Throughout her tenure, Duke has supported equity in health care. Alliance serves historically marginalized communities of color. Duke has pioneered peer training, peer-delivered health-access services and workforce development for HIV prevention.”
Crain’s Health Pulse: Nonprofit participating in NIH initiative to target Covid in underserved communities
June 21, 2021
A nonprofit providing support to New Yorkers living with HIV or addiction has announced an initiative to encourage Covid-19 testing in underserved communities.
The Alliance for Positive Change said it has partnered with the New York State Psychiatric Institute, Columbia University Irving Medical Center and Argus Community on a National Institutes of Health program to engage with communities that are particularly vulnerable to Covid-19. Arianne Watson, associate director at the alliance, said the effort is focused on people struggling with substance abuse.
"They're at a cross section of a lot of different vulnerabilities in which they still are at a higher risk to not only have Covid but also spread Covid," Watson said. "Screening and education are still very imperative to risk reduction."
The NIH funds the Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics for Underserved Populations initiative. According to the NIH website, the $512 million RADx-UP project aims to understand the factors associated with Covid-19 morbidity and mortality and to work to reduce risk among underserved and vulnerable populations.
Two strategies will be employed for the initiative, Watson said. One is chain referral, in which study participants reach out to people in their social networks to encourage more testing. The other is Alliance Peers, which Watson described as a more traditional method. People with experience go into the community and try to get others on board to get tested, she said.
Watson said the initiative started last year, when the Alliance met with Columbia and the Psychiatric Institute to coordinate the effort. In the coming weeks, she said, they'll be going out into the community to kick off testing.
"According to the most recent New York City Department of Health Covid-19 data, the South Bronx still has some of the highest rates of Covid-19 infection in all of New York City," Daniel Lowy, deputy executive director of Argus, said in a news release. "Argus Community will be reaching those at-risk community members to know their status, provide Covid-19 health education and link those who test positive to care." —Gabriel Poblete
Alliance for Positive Change Launches Innovative Project to Connect People with Opioid and Other Substance Use Challenges to COVID-19 Testing
Positive Change Hero: Perla
1. Tell us a little about yourself, who you are, what you do, and what you brought you to Alliance?
My name is Perla Romero and I am a Harm Reduction Manager at Alliance LES Harm Reduction Center. I came to LESHRC as an intern through AHEC (Area Health Education Center), which was a program I was connected to through City College. Once I completed my hours for my internship, I stayed as a volunteer, then eventually became a staff member. When I first interned with LESHRC, I knew that I was coming to a special place. The work we do is truly necessary for and by the community we serve. The impact that LESHRC has had and the place that it holds in the community has been something I wanted to be a part of.
2. Tell me about your program/service and what problem it solves.
My role at Alliance has expanded quite a bit since I began working here. One of the most central components to the work that I do is addressing hepatitis C. Hepatitis C is a viral form of hepatitis that is often overlooked and stigmatized, but can have fatal consequences when undiagnosed and/or untreated. The majority of the new cases being reported in NYC are within the community of people who inject drugs. This means that people who are often not engaged in the healthcare system are also being burdened by a chronic health condition that does not have enough resources or funding. My job is to help bridge the gap between the resources that do exist and our clients. Through our participation in various initiatives, programming, and partnerships, we are able to do outreach to people who are disconnected from healthcare and bring them to places where they are welcome, respected, and safe. Through these healthcare navigation services that can take many forms, we are able to work with our clients so that they can receive medical care again.
3. Tell us about specific people you’ve helped within your program.
One of the people that I worked with had several chronic health conditions when I first met them (like many of our clients do), and had undergone a major surgery at a young age. I think they felt like there were limited options of whom they could work with because they primarily spoke Spanish and had felt dismissed in the past. This person was able to become cured of hepatitis C through the span of our work together. I really enjoyed seeing how they grew to advocate for themselves and knew that they had a say in the care that they chose to engage in or not to engage in. I think that getting through treatment made them feel empowered to look at and work on other areas of their life. The last time that we spoke they shared that they were looking into areas of work that they wanted to move into and that they would be comfortable in; they were prioritizing their well-being!
4. Is there an achievement or contribution to this program you are particularly proud of?
I am extremely proud of the clients that have been cured of hepatitis C through our navigation services. Due to their history of drug use (past or present), many of the clients that I have worked with have been stigmatized by medical providers that they worked with previously. It takes an incredible amount of courage to advocate for your health after facing discrimination and abuse in settings that should have been safe. I am proud of the way that our team works with clients to restore a sense of autonomy when it comes to their health care. Overall, I am proud of our clients.
5. What’s your outlook for the future for this program and beyond?
Hepatitis C treatment has changed so much within the last decade and our programs have been crucial in communicating advancements to the people that benefit most from them. Our programs have also been important to the organization, our clients, and others by raising the issues of hepatitis C awareness, hepatitis C education, and healthcare access. My hope is that the people cured through our programs and positive health outcomes are seen as motivators to invest in the health of people who use drugs, particularly those who are unhoused. Beyond hepatitis C, I hope that the work we do can be a catalyst to move our health system towards a harm reduction framework. It would be great if our work could help move medical providers towards a re-education that includes how to practice from a harm reduction framework. Of course there are already medical providers that practice harm reduction (some that we are fortunate to work with), but we need to make this the rule, not the exception.
6. If you could do anything in addition to what you are doing now, what would it be?
I would like to make different materials that aid in expanding who knows about harm reduction. A lot of us who do harm reduction work are doing this work because either we saw the need for this in our immediate surroundings or we have direct personal experiences. To me, this says a lot about who is doing harm reduction work. It says that we are very invested, but also that we arrived at harm reduction out of necessity. I want harm reduction, for what it really is, to become something that can aid in reshaping the relationships that people develop and have with substances. Particularly, I would like to make harm reduction materials that are intentionally written in Spanish.
7. Is there another question that I have not asked you that I should?
What is Harm Reduction?
I think this is one of my favorite questions because the response you receive tells you a lot about the person responding and what they have been exposed to. Oftentimes, people will respond by saying that harm reduction can be defined as "meeting people where they're at." This is definitely part of it, but within the context of social services/healthcare, it can be providing people with options so that they can decide what is best for them. I think at its best harm reduction is giving people their power back and working with them towards their goals. Harm reduction work should always stem from a place of love for your community and others while respecting their autonomy.
Positive Change Hero: Lillian
1. Tell us a little about yourself, who you are, what you do, and what you brought you to Alliance?
My name is Lillian Anglada, and I am President of the Consumer Advisory Council (CAC). I acquired HIV in 1986, was diagnosed in 1989—just a year after getting married. I was given two years to live from my doctors. I made it past those two years, and went on to volunteer for Peter Krueger Clinic as a data entry specialist. While there, I saw a flyer for a health fair called Loved in the Time of AIDS put on by a collaboration of HIV agencies to bring the education to the streets where families hang out (like the East River Park Health Fair). I picked up a brochure to what was then the AIDS Service Center of Lower Manhattan (ASCNYC) now The Alliance for Positive Change.
I came aboard at ASCNYC in October 1992 and graduated in January 1993 from the Peer Leadership Training Program. The staff was small, but attentive to my needs. The intensity of the 8-week training program gave me knowledge about HIV and what I could expect from the virus. There were only 12 of us in my class, and I am the only survivor, by the grace of God.
After graduating, for two years I served as a Peer Educator at Alliance’s drop-in center on the Lower East Side, which would eventually be named after me, now Alliance’s Luis & Lillian Outreach Center at P.S. 122 Cultural Center on 9th street and First Avenue in Manhattan. It was named in memory of Luis, my mentor and a staff member at Alliance, who died two days after I was released from the hospital.
2. Tell me about your program/service and what problem it solves.
As of 2001, I was honored to become the President of the Consumer Advisory Council (CAC) of The Alliance for Positive Change. Its mission and purpose is to create a partnership amongst clients, also known as consumers, providers, and community members that strives to raise Alliance’s programs to a higher level of excellence. In addition, we look to ensure that services to people with HIV/AIDS are never interrupted and always perfected. Moreover, it is a mechanism for accountability.
3. Tell us about specific people you’ve helped within your program.
In 1993, Luis (former staff member at Alliance) and I created a woman’s group comprised of solely HIV+ women who felt broken and needed to gain the hope to regain control of their life at PS 122. In the process, I taught meditation, safe sex, and various other topics. Ultimately, the group gave me a gift: meeting peers, who would eventually become my new family. Before meeting these peers, I did not know about hugs, tears, kisses, and how to say I love you—all of which I did not do at home. Hearing these women’s testimonies have taught me to be humble, empathetic, and to listen to other people’s experiences. With my being given two years to live, I could identify with these other women. Life has no guarantee.
4. What was their life like before they began the program
They had no HOPE!
5. What was the biggest challenge they were facing?
They were in denial about their HIV status.
6. How have you helped them?
I helped my peers find a solution for all types of situations. While I got involved in a struggle to save a village, I ended up saving a community. Helping my peers has given me the capacity to continue to fight. I have firsthand experience and I share my story in order to help them and mentor them.
7. Is there any moment that sticks out to you from your time at Alliance?
There was this lady on the train, soiled and uncomfortable. My head said leave her alone, but my heart said help her. I told her to get off at 35th Street with me. I went into our Wonderful Wearables clothing room, and helped get her a coat, clothes, and shoes. From there, we went downstairs and washed her up. She thought I would be disgusted by her. But I was not raised that way. I take pride in my ability to be able to go above and beyond. She came back to become a client, and get help with her mental health. I didn't have pity for her, I had empathy for her.
8. Is there an achievement or contribution to this program you are particularly proud of?
I started “Life Affirming” events in 1995 with the support and in collaboration with Alliance. Thanks to them, I have always been able to do my Life Affirming events like Mother’s Day of Pampering serving 50-100 mothers and daughters, Thanksgiving dinner, the Annual Dinner Dance, and Holiday dinner dance (serving around 400-500 clients and peers).
I am also proud of becoming CAC president, learning about policies changes, and helping the community adapt to change.
9. If you could do anything in addition to what you are doing now, what would it be?
During the pandemic, I taught myself to sew and have donated over 200 masks.
In addition, my daughter says I am crazy, but I would love to be a part of the solution for homelessness. I envision creating building and floor plans.
10. Is there another question that I have not asked you that I should?
What Is my message to the community?
You can do anything with an HIV diagnosis, it is not a life sentence!
Also, since 2003, I created a community-based organization called Caring Hands for Positive Woman, Inc. focused on women of color. It delivers prevention and education in East Harlem, NYC. Our mission is to develop cultural, grassroots trainings that aim to reduce the rate of health disparities among minority young women of color. We hope to help them receive medical and educational services. By empowering, educating, and providing leadership and advocacy trainings, we will enable these women to make healthier decisions for themselves and their families.