Joel Teron, Harm Reduction Manager, Quoted in Crain's New York Health Pulse

Last week, Crain’s New York Health Pulse published a thorough examination of the effects of the FDA’s ruling to make Narcan legal for over the counter sale. Crain’s spoke to experts across the harm reduction and advocacy spaces, including our friends at VOCAL-NY, and our very own harm reduction manager Joel Teron. Read some of Joel’s insights below:

“Joel Teron, harm reduction manager at the Alliance Lower East Side Harm Reduction Center, said that over-the-counter access to Narcan “reaches an entirely different market,” as people who may be hesitant to access services at harm reduction facilities may be more comfortable walking into a drug store and picking Narcan up off the shelf.

Teron added that it remains to be seen how pharmacies will provide information and resources to people about how to use Narcan. Alliance LES Harm Reduction Center has been providing people with free Narcan and naloxone medications for years, providing training about how to administer the treatment, he said.”

Chief Program Officer Ramona Cummings Speaks with Paper Mag about Narcan OTC Ruling

Ramona Cummings, Chief Programing Officer of Prevention Services at Alliance, spoke with Paper Mag last week about the FDA’s approval to make Narcan over the counter (effective soon.) Ramona celebrated the removal of more barriers to the life-saving medication, and discussed the important role of culturally-competent community providers that offer Narcan as one of many tools in the harm reduction toolkiit, alongside fentanyl test strips, harm reduction counseling, and more.

"Many individuals addressing substance use issues have dealt with a great deal of stigma from providers," said Ramona. "Not just pharmacists, but the medical community in general…The FDA approval is a step in the right direction and an opportunity to open more conversations about the value of harm reduction services, and the availability of choices for participants.”

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

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.

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

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.

As deadline approaches, Alliance CEO op-ed reveals dangers of NYS carving out the 340B program April 1

With less than one week to save 340B pharmacy benefit program, our CEO Sharen Duke’s op-ed was published in AMNY Sunday, March 26. A staunch advocate for smart public policy that promotes health access, this is her fourth op-ed since “The Cuomo” carveout was proposed in 2019. She writes:

“On April 1, Community Health Safety Net Providers from Buffalo to Brooklyn will be forced to lay people off, shut down programs, and close buildings leaving thousands without the medical care they need and deserve. Many of those who will be left out in the cold are those most in need…

Why does the state’s Medicaid office want to hurt so many of its residents who rely on these programs? It says it will save money. Experts don’t agree. The experts say the advertised savings just don’t add up. So not only will the new Medicaid plan not save money, but it will leave thousands who need help with no place to go.”

Positive Change Hero: Diana Pizarro

1.     Tell us a little about yourself, who you are, what you do, and what brought you to Alliance?  

My name is Diana Pizarro, I am 64 years old. I have been working in the business of helping people since I was 9 or 10 years old. As a young girl I used to help my mother’s friends and family that came from Puerto Rico who did not know how to speak English, with translation, filling out forms, applications, and taking them to the hospital and HRA for assistance.  

No wonder I am in this line of work.  

I was recommended to the Alliance after I was a case manager at GMHC for almost 15 years, serving for several as Treatment Adherence Manager where I provided clients with tools to remember to take their medications like the use of a calendar, a wristband timer to set alarm and a medicine box with the letters of every day of the week.  

Now I am a Health Homes Case Manager.  

2.    Tell me about your current program/service and what problem it solves. 
Health Home case management provides resources for people that are diagnosed with chronic diseases, like mental health, Diabetes, Asthma, and HIV, to name a few. Health Home case management assists the clients with linkage to medical services and monitors their good health practice for stability. We also provide resources for individuals and families in need of shelter, support groups etc... Case Managers like me coordinate meetings with other providers, general practitioners, therapists, and others—with the clients’ consent, of course and work towards developing a unique care plan that can assist the client obtain their medical and mental health goals.  

3.    Right now, do you work with drastically different populations than earlier in your career? 

At Alliance, my caseload is even more diverse. In this line of work, you face different challenges based on each client’s situation. Some may need special housing allowances or health needs. I advocate for all my clients to reach their care plan goals. One particular client that was on my case load multiple times was looking for more desirable housing. I was able to help him get an apartment, then he moved away, and he came back, I assisted him again, and then moved again.  

4.    Is there an achievement or contribution to this program you are particularly proud of?  

Helping clients with resources for work, and gaining employment. One person I have worked with trained to become a home attendant in nursing. Another who was not sure they could handle working now works in a restaurant and is thinking of going back to college.  

5.    How has your program changed during the pandemic? 

Virtual services. Learning modern technology and getting access to services. It has been a challenge, especially for our older clients, but fortunately nothing disastrous has happened, like them losing passwords to key services.  

6.    If you could do anything in addition to what you are doing now, what would it be?  

I would donate to organizations like ours, and healthcare institutions that help people with diabetes, cancer, and breast cancer. And I would travel abroad a lot more. I have been to Germany, Paris, and the Netherlands. I would like to see more of the world. Tokyo, Greece, which I am hoping to go to this Summer. 

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

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."

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

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”

Alliance Advocates to Save Health Homes in Albany

Over 20 Alliance staff and program participants woke up well before dawn and drove to Albany again on Monday, February 27, to lobby against proposed cuts that would remove 70,000 participants from New York State Health Homes. PHOTOS HERE and HERE. Joined by providers like Harlem United, Argus Health, Housing Works, and many others, we spoke with over a dozen state legislators and their staffs about the importance of the intensive care management model that Health Homes provides.

A ‘Health Home’ is not a physical place; it is a group of health care and service providers working together for Medicaid beneficiaries to get health services. Providers operate under a “whole person” philosophy, integrating primary, acute, behavioral, and long-term services. 180,000 New Yorkers, including 35,000 children rely on the care management coordinator of Health Homes. This is especially important for immigrant and non-English speaking communities, which have more difficulty finding primary and specialty medical providers and case managers who can communicate with each other in the same language.

Health Homes must be preserved. Please support us by signing this letter.

Alliance Hosts Full Slate of Programming for Black History Month

As we bid farewell to February, Alliance is proud to have hosted a full slate of programs for and by the Black community. We started on February 1 with a movie group screening of the recent film ‘Passing’ and a discussion of the psychological effects of passing, hiding one’s Blackness.

We continued our event series on February 7 with a pre-recorded panel discussion of the legacy of HIV/AIDS survivors and the virus since the early 1980’s.

We held Black History Jeopardy twice, on February 9 and 23, with fun and festivities.

We also held a discussion on the history of substance use in the Black community (February 13), a Valentine’s Day event, and a second film screening—this one the 2022 release ‘Emancipation.’

Thank you to the event facilitators and everyone who attended.