Alliance Commemorates World AIDS Day

Across our community service sites, and our Pelham Grand Supportive Housing facility, Alliance staff, Peers, and participants held advocacy and education events to mark World AIDS Day. As a legacy AIDS provider, honoring the legacy of those lost to the infection, and supporting survivors is dear to who we are. At all sites, we held a reading of the names, and organized lectures about treatment breakthroughs. We also held movie screenings. At Midtown Central, we held our annual Poets Cafe where over 10 poets read their works and the works of former Alliance poets who have passed away.

Healthy Cooking Demonstration

On Thursday, November 14, Alliance’s Director of Food and Nutrition Services, Melissa Gallanter held a cooking demonstration for Alliance Peers and staff. The demonstration was also attended by TV reporters eager to learn how Alliance’s FNS program serves over 20,000 participants annually, and how Melissa’s twice-weekly cooking demonstrations help our participants managed chronic conditions on a budget.

All photos: David Nager/Alliance

Alliance Celebrates Thanksgiving Across Manhattan

Across Harlem, Washington Heights, SOHO, and the East Village, participants at Alliance’s five Manhattan community service sites gathered for parties and great food on Wednesday, November 20. We held individual parties and one larger event at St. Anthony of Padua in SOHO. All in all, we served delicious meals to over 350 people, and raffled off 100 Target gift cards to make the holidays extra bright.

We will have a private party for residents of our Pelham Grand supportive housing building next week.

Corrections Health Initiative Provides Meet in Albany Conference

Alliance recently attended the New York State Department of Health AIDS Institute’s Office Criminal Justice Services' annual Corrections Health Initiative (CHI) Provider Conference in Albany, NY.  Alliance's CHI program staff joined representatives from the NYSDOH AIDS Institute, NYS Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS) and dozens of Community Based Organizations (CBOs) providing CHI services.

It was a great opportunity to share success stories, interventions, and brainstorm ways to provide even better pre and post release services in NYS. We spoke at length with fellow CBOs Alliance for Positive Health, ACR Health, Community Access services of Western New York, Hudson valley Community services/cornerstone, PathStone,Corp, Southern Tier Aids Program, Suny Downstate Medical Center, The Osborne Association Inc., Women's Prison Association and Home Inc., and more.