In the News

The First Narcan Vending Machine in Northern New York - Dec. 19, 2023

When Saranac Lake became the first community in the state, outside of New York City, to install a vending machine offering free Narcan, and fentanyl and xylazine test strips, no one knew what the response would be. Turns out, it’s been overwhelming. 

Mountain Lake Journal on Mountain Lake PBS.

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World AIDS Day and the Importance of Knowing Your Status - Dec. 1, 2023

Kim Atkins, Executive Director of the Alliance for Positive Health interviewed on WTEN on World AIDS Day by Stephanie Rivas. 

See the interview.

Alliance for Positive Health still fights to combat stigma around HIV - Nov. 19, 2023

ALBANY — The Capital Region is one of three so-called hot spots in the state where HIV infections are on the rise, according to Kim Atkins, executive director of the Alliance for Positive Health. He said the other two are Rochester and Buffalo.

And the data that’s closely tracked, Atkins said, shows that “it’s usually young black males having sex with other males” in the 18- to 24-year-old age group who are testing positive for the virus for the first time.

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Training for drug overdose response held - Nov. 17, 2023

The Alliance for Positive Health in collaboration with SUNY Plattsburgh hosted a free Narcan training session on Nov. 8. Narcan is a drug used to combat opioid overdoses quickly and effectively. Harm Reduction Linkage Coordinator Bianca Snide and Overdose Prevention Coordinator Krista Trombley presented in front of nearly 100 interested learners gathered in the Angell College Center’s Cardinal Lounge.

Overdose Epidemic - Oct. 27, 2023

Mountain Lake PBS Mountain Lake Journal, Episode focused on the overdose epidemic in New York, particularly the rising threat of drugs laced with fentanyl and xylazine, leading to a record number of overdose deaths in the state in 2022.

Vanessa Capon, Assistant Director of Program Services participates on the panel discussion, also including Darin Perrotte, Chief of Police at Saranac Lake Police Department; Zachary Randolph, Associate Vice-President of Operations at St. Joseph’s Treatment and Recovery Centers in Saranac Lake; and Michael Carpenter, President and CEO of the MHAB Life Skills Campus in Plattsburgh.

First Narcan vending machine in state, outside of New York City - Oct. 24, 2023

WAMC

Interviews Assistant Director of Program Services Vanessa Cappon along with others regarding the first Narcan vending machine in New York at Saranac Lake Police Department.

Free Narcan, no questions asked - Oct. 13, 2023

Narcan Distribution, Training Event - Sept. 16, 2023

New York hits all-time low of new HIV infections - June 27, 2023

LGBTQ+ group unveils new satellite office in the South End - June 22, 2023

Local alliance fights health care stigmas toward LGBTQ+ community - June 21, 2023

Fred Astaire Raising Money for Alliance for Positive Health - Jan. 19, 2023

WTEN's Stephanie Rivas and Christina Arangio interview Kim Atkins from The Alliance for Positive Health and Elizabeth Mask from Fred Astaire's Dance Studio.

United in the Fight Against AIDS - Dec. 1, 2022

Global Heroes, December 1, 2022

Advocates Say Work Against Stigma Continues - Dec. 1, 2022

Narcan Overdose Kits - Nov. 28, 2022

World AIDS Day - Nov. 18, 2022

The Eagle: A Times Union Podcast Alliance for Positive Health Executive Director B. Kim Atkins about this year’s World AIDS Day, how the COVID-19 pandemic affected those living with HIV in the Capital Region, and how the landscape of the AIDS epidemic has changed in the last 40 years.

The Alliance for Positive Change Uplifts New Yorkers - Aug. 12, 2022

Breaking Down the Barriers in Access to Care - Aug. 11, 2022

Global Heroes The Alliance For Positive Health combats the epidemics of HIV, sexually transmitted infections, opioid addiction, and mental health crises born out of poverty, stigma, and injustice.

The Alliance Provides Resources for Those with Addiction Issues

Plattsburgh Press Republican, September 3, 2021 - Needle exchanges, clinics, and other local programs help with addiction issues

Will New York Decriminalize Syringe Possession in 2021?

New York Focus, January 22, 2021 - Amid dramatic spikes in drug overdoses and HIV cases, legislators and public health professionals push for New York to decriminalize sterile syringes.

Warren and Washington Counties Form Opioids Task Force

NCPR News, Nov. 19, 2020 - Warren and Washington Counties have formed a task force to try and counter an increase in opioid use and overdoses in the Glens Falls region.