NYN Media Buzz: Oct. 10, 2017

Below are community announcements provided by nonprofits across New York. Want to send some our way? Email us.

On Sept. 21, the Chinese-American Planning Council and New York City’s GetCoveredNYC announced that they will partner to provide health insurance assistance to the Queens community. GetCoveredNYC outreach teams will proactively engage eligible residents and inform them of health insurance options that may be available to them and case-manage each applicant through the process.

First Lady Chirlane McCray and Health Commissioner Dr. Mary T. Bassett hosted the first ever Lifesaver Awards Ceremony to honor 67 New Yorkers who used naloxone to reverse an opioid overdose. Collectively, the nominees saved at least 255 lives, with one individual personally reversing more than 40 overdoses. The ceremony also recognized approximately 140 Opioid Overdose Prevention Programs. Last year, New Yorkers reported using naloxone to reverse more than 450 overdoses. In March, Mayor Bill de Blasio and First Lady Chirlane McCray announced HealingNYC, the City’s comprehensive initiative to reduce opioid overdose deaths by 35 percent over five years.

The Elton John AIDS Foundation announced new funding initiatives to increase advocacy and service delivery for people living with and at-risk for HIV and hepatitis. In the U.S., EJAF will be launching a new funding initiative to address HIV in Black gay men and transgender individuals, building on our years of experience and support in fighting AIDS in these communities. In Eastern Europe, EJAF will launch the Key Populations Fund for Eastern Europe and Central Asia (EECA KP Fund), focused on prevention and treatment of HIV and hepatitis C for individuals most vulnerable to the HIV epidemic in the region: people who use drugs, sex workers, and gay and bisexual men in the region.