ACR Health, with the assistance of CenterState CEO Ambassador Cory LaDuke, cut a ribbon to officially open new office space for ACR Health at 990 James St., 2nd floor, in Syracuse. The new offices contain space for 13 agency programs, including all HIV services and health insurance programs. The 13th and newest program to be located at 990 James St. is OASAS HIV Early Intervention. Part of New York’s plan to End the AIDS Epidemic by 2020, the program provides HIV testing services for individuals staying at OASAS facilities.
ACR Health’s move to 990 James was made necessary by catastrophic flood and sewer damage to the satellite office space at 835 W. Genesee St. late last year, forcing permanent closure of that office. The emergency move to 990 James would not have been possible without the assistance of the Allyn Family Foundation, Gifford Foundation, and Karis Wiggins Designs.
“ACR Health provides critical community services and the Allyn Family Foundation is pleased to provide support for improved access and efficient offices enabling ACR to better serve their clients and the community,” said Meg O’Connell, executive director of the Allyn Family Foundation.
Funding from the Gifford Foundation’s ADVANS capacity building program contributed to this project.
“The move to 990 James Street is one we were pleased to support in order to insure the continuation of much needed support services,” said Executive Director Dirk Sonnenborn.
“It was a privilege to give back to ACR Health, an organization that works tirelessly to raise the overall health of my community. I encourage other businesses to do the same,” said Karis Wiggins, who started her company in 2005 and specializes in interior design and project management.
Offices for Support Services at 990 James St. include:
- Ryan White Case Management/Health Education
- Housing support services
- Behavioral health education
- Employment initiative
- Nutrition health education and food and meal services
- Medical transportation services
- DSRIP coordination
- OASAS – HIV testing at OASAS licensed facilities
- Community health referral services
Insurance programs include:
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- Health insurance navigation/enrollment
- Managed long-term care ombudsman program
- Community health advocates
- Facilitated enrollment for disabled, aged and blind
- Minority outreach, education and enrollment program
ACR Health Headquarters remain at 627 W. Genesee St. with offices for case management, prevention services, development and administration.
First numbers show success in ‘End the AIDS Epidemic by 2020’ campaign
In addition to cutting the ribbon on its new office, ACR Health has announced that new HIV infections in men who have sex with men (MSM) have decreased significantly in New York state.
Earlier this year the AIDS Institute updated its statistics on HIV/AIDS – measuring progress in New York’s campaign to End the AIDS Epidemic by 2020. There is significant good news to report today. For the first time in a decade, the number of new HIV infections diagnosed in MSM has decreased by 10 percent from 2014 to 2015.
New York’s progress is remarkable in that gay and bisexual men have the highest HIV infection rate of any group. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the national picture is this:
- Gay and bisexual men are more severely affected by HIV than any other group in the United States.
- From 2005 to 2014, HIV diagnoses decreased in the United States by 19 percent overall, but increased 6 percent among all gay and bisexual men, driven by increases among African American and Hispanic/Latino gay and bisexual men.
- Over the past five years (2010-2014), the increase in HIV diagnoses among all gay and bisexual men nationwide was less than 1 percent, although progress has been uneven among races/ethnicities.
- New York saw a decrease of 10 percent in the number of new HIV infections in MSM from 2014 to 2015.
- In 2014, nearly two-thousand men – 1,975 – were newly diagnosed with HIV in New York.
- In 2015, new HIV infections were found in MSM came in at 1,775.
This decrease is of particular note because of stepped up efforts to test for HIV in priority populations, with MSM in communities of color being a top priority, and more people now aware of their status.
ACR Health has greatly expanded HIV testing which is a priority for ending AIDS. Testing is up 545% in 2017 compared to 2012.
In 2012, ACR Health offered five programs that provided HIV testing; 151 tests were completed that year. In 2017, ACR Health has eight programs that provide HIV testing; 974 HIV tests were completed between Jan. 1, 2016, and May 4, 2017.
