Alliance CEO Sharen Duke to Albany Times Union: NYS Must Cancel Cuomo Carve-Out

A pre-pandemic Cuomo-era initiative to “carve-out” New York State’s Medicaid prescription drug benefit from a managed-care program to a fee-for-service program would gut community-based health care and other services for vulnerable New Yorkers at the worst possible time.

Alliance provides quality care management for New York’s most vulnerable residents, providing life-saving access to medication and holistic care to support the whole person. The pharmacy carve-out would be disastrous for nonprofits like Alliance and the thousands of New Yorkers we serve.

Executive Director and CEO Sharen Duke published an op-ed in the Times Union explaining the issue, calling on Governor Kathy Hochul to reverse course immediately.

After reading, please take one minute to sign our petition calling on the Governor to stop the Medicaid pharmacy carve-out. Thank you for your advocacy!

Alliance for Positive Change Statement on Historic Senate Confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson

Alliance for Positive Change has issued the following statement on the historic Senate confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson:

We applaud the United States Senate’s confirmation and approval of Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson to serve as the 116th Justice of the Supreme Court. She is supremely qualified for the role, academically and professionally, and will be a voice of justice, equity and empowerment for decades to come.

While Justice Brown Jackson has remarkable and numerous qualifications, sadly, she was met with aggressive and at times hostile questioning by some members of the Senate. We are in awe of Justice Brown Jackson and her ability to maintain calm, dignity and composure throughout the public hearings.

Alliance celebrates the important milestone that Justice Brown Jackson’s appointment represents, and looks forward to the day when appointments of women, people of color, and non-binary people serving on the court is a common occurrence. 

Alliance Selected as Jersey City Stop & Shop's Community Bag Program Partner

Reusable Bags for Positive Change: Leading Nonprofit Alliance for Positive Change Selected by Jersey City Stop & Shop as its Community Bag Program April 2022 Partner

For every $2.50 reusable bag sold at the Central Avenue Stop & Shop in April, the supermarket will donate $1.00 to Alliance’s programs for New Yorkers living with HIV/AIDS and other chronic health conditions

 
JERSEY CITY, NJ – This April, Jersey City residents can shop greener while supporting leading Tri-state area nonprofit Alliance for Positive Change (Alliance). Alliance has provided low-income New Yorkers living with HIV/AIDS and other chronic conditions with access to quality health care, housing, harm reduction, coaching, and job training for over 30 years.

Alliance opened at the height of the HIV crisis as a welcoming community of transformation and opportunity. Now, it is receiving support from Stop & Shop’s Community Bag Program after being anonymously nominated as a Stop & Shop’s partner. Throughout the month of April, every purchase of a Stop & Shop reusable community bag at the Jersey City store on 232 Central Avenue will raise $1.00 for Alliance.

“Alliance is proud to deliver on the promise of positive change with health care, housing, harm reduction, coaching, and economic mobility programs that equip people to navigate systemic inequities and achieve health and well-being,” said Dr. Ebony L. Ross, Director of Development and Planning at Alliance for Positive Change. “We are so grateful to have been selected as part of the Community Bag Program and for Stop & Shop's support, as are the more than 5,000 people we serve.”

Stop & Shop’s Community Bag Program reduces consumption of single-use plastics and provides support for local nonprofits like Alliance. Since the first bag was sold on May 1, 2019, the initiative has sold more than 1,610,000 bags, generating needed support for local nonprofits.

“We are excited to have Alliance for Positive Change as the benefitting organization for the Stop and Shop Community Bag Program in the Jersey City Stop & Shop for the month of April! Alliance for Positive Change has such an amazing impact in the community, helping those in need and connecting them to the resources that can have a positive and long-lasting influence on their lives, and we are looking forward to partnering with them during the month of April!” said Melissa Hansen, Stop and Shop Community Bag Program. “It’s our pleasure to support Alliance through our Program, and we encourage Jersey City Heights shoppers to buy reusable bags this month.”

In addition to a wide-array of supportive services, providing consistent access to fresh and healthy food is a priority for Alliance. Alliance hosts weekly nutrition courses and twice-monthly food pantry events at all six of its NYC locations. Alliance’s annual Thanksgiving and Holiday food distribution events provide hundreds of turkeys and fixings and thousands of pounds of chicken, fresh produce, and nonperishables to Alliance program participants and the community. At all food distribution events, Alliance provides free and confidential rapid HIV/HCV tests via Alliance on the Move.

For more information about the Stop & Shop Community Bag Program, please visit stopandshop.bags4mycause.com. To learn about all the ways Alliance for Positive Change promotes community, visit http://www.alliance.nyc.

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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 PATH to Jobs—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.

National Nutrition Month: Spotlight on Nutrition Services at Alliance

“Type 2 diabetes runs in my family, I’m a sugar addict, and my feet and ankles started to swell up recently, so I soaked my feet, and went to the doctor,” one Alliance program participant said at a recent nutrition services group meeting. “She’s going to try to change my eating habits.”

“No, she’s not going to change your eating habits,” said Edwin Krales, better known at Alliance as “Dr. Broccoli”. “You are going to change your eating habits.”

“That’s right,” the participant, nodded.

During these nutrition services sessions, held weekly at Alliance’s Midtown Central office, Dr. Broccoli asks folks to share stories of their eating habits and nutrition goals. Some participants are eager to talk while others prefer to listen and learn during the hour-long sessions.

Dr. Broccoli pointed out that excess sugar has a negative effect on everyone’s bodies: “There is a neuroplasticity* to our genes. If we are predisposed to diabetes, can we reduce our risk of developing it with a specific diet? The answer is yes, and that reduces the risks of the gene expressing itself.”

Dr. Broccoli arranged to meet with the participant after the session to discuss specific options and share a sugar reduction sheet he had created, which is similar to calendars runners use when training for a race, building up progressively, week over week.

Alliance Peer Shirley LaRoche also had been attending Alliance nutrition classes for over 10 years. “My father used to pour sugar in his water, and even his milk,” Shirley said. “It’s milk, but it would turn grey because of all the sugar he was putting in, and I didn’t know any better myself. Now I don’t do that anymore.”

Shirley started coming to Alliance in 2009, and prior to becoming a Peer would walk over to Alliance during breaks from her job to attend Dr. Broccoli’s class every week.

“Now I’m thinking, if I eat this rice tonight, I’m definitely not adding potatoes,” Shirley said, “and instead of buying any iceberg lettuce [a notoriously nutrient-free food] I can eat some kale.”

Dr. Broccoli, who has been offering nutrition services with Alliance for over 20 years, was given the nickname Dr. Broccoli at an outreach event he led with another AIDS organization in the South Bronx for almost 30 years, because he constantly promoting eating veggies. He would schlep hours out of his way to bring fresh veggies to these outreach events, many of which were held in food deserts, areas without reliable access to produce.

Providing consistent access to fresh and healthy produce is a priority for Alliance. Dr. Broccoli notes, “The factor of social pressure is extremely important here. If you are trying to make a change in your diet, will you have support from your social structure? Will you have access to healthy foods?”

March is National Nutrition Month, and Alliance held three pantry events across all locations, on March 16, 17, and 30, which served over 300 large bags of produce.

Charles Waters, an Alliance participant for many years, met Dr. Broccoli at an AIDS Momentum Project in the Bronx over 20 years ago, and they have a jovial relationship.

“I like my KitKats,” he began, as Dr. Broccoli started shaking his head. “But when I’m having them, I think of Dr. Broccoli and I’m more mindful of what I’m going to eat the rest of the day, the rest of the week.”

“I’m more mindful of what I’m putting in my body because of him,” Charles added.

Charles wanted it added in this story that he has been HIV-positive for many years. It’s important to him to be open and represent people living with HIV to share his own experience in the hopes of helping others.

During the second nutrition session of the day, the group wrapped up its voluntary nutrition check-in and Charles transitioned the discussion to COVID-19, which the group agreed was truly “the second pandemic” of their lifetime, after HIV/AIDS.

The conversation became more scientific, discussing how HIV is transmitted through blood and body fluids, while the coronavirus is transmitted through droplets. After the meeting, most participants arranged to check out services with Alliance staff and Peers, or hung out to catch up.

Due to their popularity, weekly nutrition services meetings are open only to enrolled Alliance participants, on a first-come, first-serve basis. Participants interested in attending an upcoming session, or scheduling a one-one-one nutrition counseling meeting with Dr. Broccoli, are encouraged to email Abeer Naseem at abeer@alliance.nyc.

Dr. Broccoli and Charles Water

*Neuroplasticity: The capacity of the brain to change its connections and behavior in response to new information, sensory stimulation, development, damage or dysfunction

Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney Secures $1M in Federal Funding for Alliance

As reported last Summer, Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney requested $1M in federal for Alliance for Positive Change, and on Tuesday, March 22, she publicly celebrated securing it, on Tuesday.

Alliance is one of 10 community organizations in Maloney’s district will get $6.3 million in project funding requests that Maloney allocated in the fiscal year 2022 appropriations legislation. She was joined by Alliance Executive Director/CEO Sharen I. Duke, Alliance Deputy Executive Director/COO Brenda Starks-Ross, and Alliance Director of Administration Brooke Brailey.

“It’s unheard of that everyone got all of their projects funded,” Jessica Walker from the Manhattan Chamber of Commerce said.

Photo by Dean Moses

Women's Chat and Craft Group Featured on NY1 and NY1 Noticias

News NY1 and NY1 Noticias captured a hands-on arts project and showcased the impact of Alliance’s programs for women. Alliance’s weekly Women’s Chat & Craft Group on Tuesday, March 15 hosted a rock-painting event with a dozen attendees. Prevention Manager Maria Madrid spoke about Alliance’s work with NY1 Noticias (mira en Espanol) and Director of Women’s Services Dr. Erin McKinney-Prupis spoke with NY1 (watch in English.)

Alliance celebrates all the women who lead positive change in our communities and who come together to support one another, connect, and make their voices heard.

Alliance custom social media posts and call scripts to NYS officials to pass Safer Consumption Services Act expanding OPCs

We need your assistance raising awareness about the urgency of authorizing Overdose Prevention Centers (OPCs) and saving lives in New York State.

Overdose death rates are at an unprecedented high in the United States and New York State. The first authorized OPCs in the United States opened in New York City on November 30, 2021. Hundreds of lives have already been saved in the NYC facilities, proving that they can and must be expanded in high needs areas across New York.

In order to do so, New York State must pass the Safer Consumption Services Act (S603/A224), also known as SCSA. SCSA allows local health departments and the New York State Department of Health to authorize community-based organizations to operate OPCs. This legislation extends immunity to participants, staff members, and property owners from arrest, charges, and prosecution for criminal offenses and penalties for their participation or involvement in approved OPC programs.

Here’s how you can help:

1) Call your Senator and Assembly Member and urge them to co-sponsor Bill S603/A224. You can find your representatives phone number by clicking the links (find your Senator and Assembly Member) and entering your address. Here is a sample script when making your calls:

Hi my name is ________ and I am calling about Overdose Prevention Centers – also known as OPCs – and saving lives in New York State. Hundreds of lives have already been saved in the two NYC OPCs, proving that they can and must be expanded in high needs areas across New York.

In order to do so, New York State must pass the Safer Consumption Services Act and I am calling to ask you co-sponsor Bill S603/A224.

OPCs are controlled health care settings where people can more safely use pre-obtained drugs under clinical supervision and receive health care, counseling, and referrals to health and social services, including drug treatment. OPCs are important because they prevent fatal overdose especially for high-risk populations.

As a service provider working on the front lines of New York overdose crisis, I urge the New York State legislature to urgently pass S603/A224 to authorize the Department of Health to work with local health departments to implement Overdose Prevention Centers in high need areas across New York State.

Thank you.

2) Tweet your support for S603/A224 and post across social media, either writing the name of your State Senator and Assembly member, or, if they have a public social media page, tagging them. We have two draft posts below, which can be customized however you see fit:

A) Since NYC opened #OverdosePreventionCenters, hundreds of overdoses have been reversed and countless New Yorkers have received important health referrals. [OUR SENATOR] and [YOUR ASSEMBLY MEMBER] please pass S603/A224 #SaferConsumptionServicesAct

B) NYC #OverdosePreventionCenters have saved hundreds of lives, proving that they can and must be expanded in high needs areas across NY. [YOUR SENATOR] and [YOUR ASSEMBLY MEMBER] please pass S603/A224 #SaferConsumptionServicesAct

3) If you, a family member or someone you serve has been personally impacted by the overdose crisis you can also sign the letter of support for Bill (S603/A224). Please note, Alliance has already signed on as an organization so this would be a personal sign on.

Alliance Recognizes Black History Month 2022

Black History Month started as Negro History Week in 1926. Author, journalist, and historian Carter G. Woodson wrote that “If a race has no history, if it has no worthwhile tradition, it becomes a negligible factor in the thought of the world.”

Much of the history of America has been in trying to strip Black people of connections to their rich heritage. As Maya Angelou put it "The more you know of your history, the more liberated you are."

To that end, Alliance is proud to celebrate Black history not just in February, but year-round. Alliance has asked staff, Peers, and program participants to honor some of their Black heroes, and share why they inspire them. Read about some of these Black role models @thealliance_nyc.

Kisha Dodson—a respiratory therapist at a VA hospital in Florida, mother of Alliance’s own Ashley.

Dr. Shirley Jackson—the first African American woman to receive a doctorate from M.I.T., and the first African American to become a Commissioner of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

Ella Fitzgerald—The “Queen of Jazz,” the most popular female jazz singer in the U.S. for decades, winner of 14 Grammy Awards and the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Bessie Coleman—”The Only Race Aviatrix in the World,” the first Black woman, and the first Native American woman to hold a pilot’s license. She opened an aviation school to teach Black women to fly, and break down barriers as she did.

Brenda Starks-Ross, Waverly Fair, and Jean Pierre-Louis—Alliance’s very own Ardith Cornelius wanted to recognize the roles that Alliance’s COO Ms. Brenda, and Waverly and Jean of the Peer program, played in helping her make change in her own life, and helping others. Thank you Ardith, Ms. Brenda, Waverly and Jean!

Black history matters year-round, and our pages will continue to spotlight Black leaders year-round. If you would like to recognize someone, please email communications@alliance.nyc

Role Model Stories: Annias M.

I am a 57 year old black gay male living with HIV. When I was 25 years old my mother passed away. When that happened it put me into a deep dark depression.

I was also infected unknowingly with HIV after my partner told me I should be tested after he was told by a prior partner that he was positive. At the end of the day I think he already knew that he was positive and never cared to share with me after we had intercourse.

At first my test came back inclusive. So I tested again 3 months later and the results were Positive, and that ended the relationship.

I have always dabbled with cocaine but wasn’t introduced to crack cocaine until I met someone new. This relationship was toxic for me mentally and physically but I never fought back because I would have wound up in jail for murder. The last straw in the relationship happened when he burned my face with a hot iron.

I wanted help so I went to Bronx Lebanon Hospital and was transferred into this program in Alabama called Self Discovery. The 30 days I was there it felt like paradise. Being treated with kindness and passion. 

After a couple of weeks in the program we were even allowed to go out and attend other NA meetings. I didn’t want to leave but I knew I my life was back home in New York. 

It wasn’t too long before I got back home and I repeated the same behavior. I spiraled out of control. I called my cousins to come rescue me. I couldn’t bear to live like this anymore. I relapsed once more but this time I was sick of being sick and tired.

During my relapses I realized I never fought my real demon. Something I have never told anyone. I was molested at the age of 16. Once I was able to admit it and say it out loud that demon was defeated and the next one was my addiction. I was able to beat that as well and finally able to live a happy healthy life.

I graduated from the Arrive Program and in 2010 one of my friends introduced me to ASCNYC which is now Alliance for Positive Change. I enrolled in the HOPE Program and soon after that I became a Peer and then within 2 years at Alliance I was offered an opportunity to become a senior peer liaison.