Health Care NYS of Health Insurance, Navigation Advocacy & Enrollment Services Managed Long Disabled, Blind, Aged, Term Care Advocacy Facilitated Enrollment Behavioral Health Education and Engagement 340b Pharmacy Service Nutrition Health Education Support Groups LGBTQ Youth Services Care Management Support Services After School Program Cultural Competency Youth Services Trainings Health Education Session Adolescent Health Peer Leadership Training One on One Risk Reduction 2014-2015 Annual Report Report from the Executive Director and Board Chair With no exaggeration, this has been a year of exponential growth for ACR Health, in large part due to the expansion of our Health Home Care Management program, the development of Syringe Exchange services in the Mohawk Valley, and the ourishing of our Health Insurance Enrollment and Health Advocacy Initiatives. You’ll see the budget has grown by Board of Directors a whopping 35.5%...! It has been a wild ride: exciting, exhausting, and rewarding. Individuals serving As programs have grown, we have taken on new and expanded property in Syracuse, while during the 2014-2015 contracting for new space in both Utica and Watertown to be occupied early in the coming fi scal year. scal year. We’ve created new administrative and data positions, increased HR capacity, Finance sta ng, Suzanne Kondra-DeFuria parking availability, and components of security. Chair We wrapped up an intensive two year capacity building initiative (ADVANS) sponsored by the Gi ord Foundation, while at the same time putting senior and middle management sta Andrew London through extended and rigorous management/leadership coaching to upgrade their skills and Vice Chair better equip them for the in ux of new clients and increased supervisory responsibilities. Anthony Adornato ACR Health remains in the forefront of addressing our region’s heroin crisis, training Secretary hundreds of community members this past year in the use of Narcan, which can reverse heroin/opiate overdose, and we are poised to begin limited medical services to our Syracuse M. Paul Mahalick intravenous drug using (IDU) clients by the end of the calendar year. Treasurer We held a rst of its kind day-long conference in Syracuse on Transgender Youth and the School System, with three similar conferences scheduled for the upcoming year within our Jerena Barkins nine county service area. Based on the success of our Q Center in Syracuse, we have begun to Cynthia Morrow M.D. expand services to LGBTQ youth in the Mohawk Valley and the North Country with, Q2 and Shannon O’Connor Qbd respectively. David Reed ACR Health has a history of working with those marginalized and stigmatized, populations Kim J. Rieppel routinely discriminated against within the mainline health care, legal, and religious systems. Patrick Quigley Our commitment is stronger than ever, as is our growing capacity, to engage in a life changing way with those we are in business to serve and to act as a counter point to the obstacles they face. Stay tuned. Mission Statement Michael Crinnin Suzanne Kondra-DeFuria ACR Health is a progressive Executive Director Board Chair human services provider committed to eliminating health disparities and inequality throughout the Central, Northern, and The End of AIDS Mohawk Valley regions of At the beginning of this fi scal year, Governor Andrew Cuomo New York State. announced a three-point plan to “bend the curve” and decrease new HIV infections to the point where the number of people living with HIV in New York State is reduced for the fi rst time. The end of the AIDS epidemic in New York will occur when the total number of new HIV infections has fallen below the number of HIV-related deaths. Governor Cuomo and the New York State Department of Health believe that’s possible by 2020. The three-point plan has been promoted across the state on billboards: 2 Fiscal Summary Total Revenue: Total Expense: 78 cents of every dollar at $9,380,657 $9,380,657 ACR Health goes to client’s program and prevention services for the fi scal year 7/1/14 – 6/30/15. 14% Our fi nancial statements have 49% 44% 56% 8% been audited by Buffi ngton & Hoatland CPAs. 21% A completed audit is available 5% upon request at AIDS 2% 1% Community Resources, Inc., Other Government Grants Prevention & doing business as ACR Health. Education Initiatives Medicaid Volunteer United Way & Client Support Services Community Grants Special Events Administration & Donations Special Events In the last 5 years, ACR Health has grown exponentially. 2010 2015 Total Budget $3,004,887 Total Budget $9,380,657 Programs 14 Programs 32 Employees 67 Employees 144 Offi ces 7 Offi ces 9 3 Development Department ACR Health’s Development Department raises money from businesses, organizations, and the community at large to fi ll gaps left by government grants. Message from the Development Director I am lucky to go to work every day and ask community members to get involved with something I am passionate about. ACR Health truly cares about the people that we serve, from people living with a chronic disease, preventing the spread of HIV, continuing the conversation about heroin, supporting youth in our areas to make healthy decisions, to be themselves, and always stand up for everyone’s rights. Thank you to all who have supported us this year, and in years past. Without our community coming together, ACR Health would not be able to do this necessary work. Standing alongside Governor Cuomo, we will end AIDS by 2020 because of all of you. Thank you for your constant support in making our community the healthiest it can be. Carrie Portzline-Large MCMC Enterprises When we moved to Syracuse from Canada, we didn’t know a soul. We wanted to get involved in our new community, and as we started to learn about ACR Health’s mission and see it in action, we were convinced — ACR Health was an organization worth our support. The more involved we became, the more we wanted to give back. We’re honored to support an agency that reaches out to those who are too often ignored. Each of us knows someone who has struggled to overcome addiction or faced a life-changing diagnosis. ACR Health opens its arms without judgment, treats all people with dignity and respect and helps them get their lives back on track. We saw the selfl ess dedication of ACR Health’s staff and volunteers. Their tireless work to serve the chronically ill, support LGBTQ youth and work to connect those most in need with often Anthony McEachern, Goga Miric, Jeff rey Cercone, Owners of MCMC Enterprises life-saving resources inspired us. Photo by Shooting Stars 4 Jane Guiles Educator and RN Monthly donor since September 2000 Jane Guiles, educator and RN, worked in the AIDS fi eld for ten years, teaching the mandated state curriculum on AIDS to all school employees in 17 counties. AIDS was very fear producing in those days, Jane said, when so many people were dying. Generous by nature and coming from a tradition of tithing, Jane gives monthly to charities. ACR Health holds a place in her heart for its many years of dedicated service to those aff ected by HIV/AIDS. I give to ACR Health because “I want to touch people’s lives.” Photo by Shooting Stars 5 Community Involvement More Ways to Give In 2014-2015 ACR Health broke records, set trends, and saved lives. We had fun, raised money, and made headlines. Here are some of the highlights. Dr. Laura Martin (front row center) trained ACR Health’s Prevention Team how to use the overdose reversal drug Narcan. They, in turn, trained 444 others on how to save lives. “…deaths from overdoses are now the leading cause of injury-related death in Sled for RED attracted a record fi eld of 30 sleds that raced the United States, with 43,982 deaths (or fl ipped, skipped, or skidded) down the slopes, some breaking apart before reaching the bottom. Thankfully there was no need occurring in 2013…” for the Kirkville Fire Department to rescue anyone! Cynthia Morrow, MD, MPH, At the AIDS Hike for Life who previously served as in the Mohawk Valley, keeping Commissioner of Health of the focus on fi ghting AIDS Onondaga County, was doesn’t preclude fun and elected to the ACRHealth frolic. Certainly not for Board of Directors. “ACR irrepressible Jennifer Health has emerged as a Woodman, the highest leading public health agency, individual fundraiser on the not only in Onondaga, but in highest fundraising many other counties community team, BNY Mellon. throughout New York,” said Dr. Morrow. Ninety youth, parents, advisors, and staff went to Albany for Equality and Justice Day. Their agenda was GENDA, Prevention teams from ACR Health hit the streets of Syracuse, Utica, the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act, which has and Watertown to observe National HIV Testing Day on June 26. They passed the New York State Assembly seven consecutive times, had a great turnout as dozens responded to the off er of free HIV tests. but has never been brought up for a vote in the State Senate. 6 Ludger and Kevin Viefhues-Bailey, pictured with guest Maria Wiklund, host an annual “Good Cheer and Good Deeds” Giving Party. They support the Q Center because they are moved by how many LGBTQ youth are profoundly pained by a sense of isolation and loneliness and how uplifting and life giving it is for them to have a community. This year’s Bubble Blast Run took place inside The New York State Fair for the fi rst time ever. Fair goers, carnies, and restaurant row workers all joined in cheering on the Bubble runners! ACR Health’s Criminal Justice Initiative sponsored a fi rst of its kind seminar, the “Breaking Barriers Summit,” which brought together the State Department of Corrections, medical providers, AIDS organizations, and consumer advocates to discuss issues relevant to current and formerly incarcerated Paul Mahalick, Cindy Seymour, and Laura Serway, co-founders of individuals statewide.