New York State HIV/AIDS Policy Analysis And Advocacy

Policy Work | Budget Advocacy | Our Partners

About Our Programs

LAC conducts policy analysis and advocacy to expand and improve HIV prevention, treatment and care services for New Yorkers, including those at risk or infected through drug use, and those in communities of color. We also work to protect the legal rights of people living with or at risk for HIV and AIDS, especially in the areas of HIV testing, confidentiality and discrimination. We work in partnership with people affected by HIV/AIDS, community-based providers and advocates, legal experts and lawmakers and public health officials on the state, city and federal levels.
Promoting Health Services, Needle Exchange and Privacy
Through membership on the New York State AIDS Advisory Council, LAC works to maintain and expand HIV prevention, treatment and care services in New York State and City, including those designed to address young women and communities of color.

Protecting Confidentiality and Fighting Discrimination
LAC leads advocacy efforts to protect the privacy of HIV records and information and protect people with HIV/AIDS from discrimination. See our Publications section for all of LAC's publications on HIV confidentiality, discrimination and other important legal issues.

Syringe Access
Safe, legal access to clean needles and needle exchange programs are critical in reducing HIV, hepatitis and other health problems due to injection drug use. LAC conducts advocacy, policy analysis and public awareness to ensure that people can obtain and possess syringes without a prescription from participating pharmacies, health care providers and facilities.

WISH-NY
The Women's Initiative to Stop HIV in New York State (WISH-NY), a project of the Legal Action Center, seeks to answer the need for a sustained presence to educate policymakers in New York State about the alarming impact of HIV among women of color by:

  • identifying gaps in needed services,
  • identifying and supporting effective and/or innovative prevention and treatment strategies, and
  • fostering community partnerships and collaborations to reduce HIV infection among women and girls and enhance services for those living with HIV.

Key Policy Developments

  • Testing and Confidentiality: Monumental changes to the HIV Testing and Confidentiality Law in July 2010 will require providers to offer HIV testing as a routine part of health care, streamline the process for offering and obtaining consent for testing, help to eliminate HIV stigma, and get more people tested.
  • Syringe Access: A new law now clarifies syringe access rules in a move toward public health and safety and away from prosecution of people who have obtained the syringes legally. The bill, also signed into law in July 2010, decriminalizes possession of trace amounts of drugs when they are in a used syringe.
  • Health in Prisons: A new Department of Health Oversight Law now requires the DOH to monitor HIV and Hepatitis C care in New York State prisons, opening the door for better olicies and practices on treatment and prevention of these diseases.

Budget Advocacy
Along with our partners in advocacy, LAC plays a leading role in advocating for maintaining funding for critical HIV/AIDS programs.

Updates From the 2010-11 Legislative Session
The recommendations of the Governor's cost-cutting Medicaid Redesign Team included many changes to programs that serve people living with HIV/AIDS. According to Health Department data from 2009, there are over 64,000 Medicaid recipients with HIV for whom Medicaid paid $2.36 billion, with 70% percent of that going to pharmacy, inpatient, and long-term care. For more details, read the AIDS Advisory Council analysis of the MRT's proposals, which were largely accepted in the final budget.

Our Partners
New York State Organizations

Syringe Exchange/Harm Reduction Programs National Organizations Governmental Sources of HIV/AIDS Information