ACR Health employs a comprehensive group of HIV prevention strategies to reach individuals at high risk of becoming infected with HIV. One of these offerings includes initiatives targeted to men, and particularly men of color, who are statistically more likely to have HIV.
Knowing that it is not who you are, but what you do that puts you at risk, ACR Health’s initiatives educate individuals on how to modify their behavior to reduce the risk of acquiring HIV.
The MENS Project: Strategies to cut HIV/STI risk for men
Not long after the AIDS epidemic began in 1981, scientists discovered that HIV was most commonly spread through the exchange of bodily fluids during unprotected sex; and that condoms helped to stop the spread. Now there is a once-daily pill, Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP), that significantly reduces the chance of HIV infection after unprotected sex and other risky behaviors.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported in 2018 that of the 39,782 new HIV cases in the U.S. annually. Men accounted for 63% of the cases.
In response to the increase of HIV among men, particularly young men of color, ACR Health’s programming for men is designed to address the needs of men through empowerment activities. The program provides comprehensive prevention programming to include street outreach, STD (chlamydia and gonorrhea) screening, rapid HIV, Syphilis and Hepatitis C testing, and comprehensive individualized prevention counseling in Syracuse, Watertown, and Utica. To learn more, call us at (315) 475-2430.
Linkage & Navigation Services
The first thing a person newly diagnosed with HIV needs to do is see a medical provider and begin treatment. The prompt treatment makes a big difference in how much impact HIV/AIDS will have on your life and health. Your future sexual or injection drug use behavior could directly impact the health of your partner or partners. How do you reduce the risk of spreading HIV? Our trained professionals have the skills and the answers you need.
The goal of prevention case management services through the MENS Project to take charge of their lives and to connect them with the resources they need to make healthy life decisions (e.g., access to medical care, public assistance, housing assistance, domestic violence services, financial benefits, substance abuse treatment).