Our mission is to reduce the spread of HIV by providing health and prevention services designed for people who use drugs, including injection drugs users, club drug users, sex workers, transgenders, women and the homeless.

Our philosophy is based on harm reduction. We respect people who are using drugs and work with them to improve their quality of life and overall health. We work with people "where they're at."

Our programs assist people in preventing the spread of HIV and we provide services to people who are HIV positive. Positive Health Project is an advocate for substance users and for those who are HIV positive. We serve as a bridge to other services such as: drug treatment, medical care, housing and education.

Description:
PHP Services
Syringe Exchange: As one of only 13 agencies in all of New York State authorized to provide syringe exchange services, PHP provides clean needles and educational and other risk reduction materials, conducting 124 transactions each week, including 35 new clients.

Outreach and Education: PHP’s outreach and education services provide street-level, peer-based risk reduction information to individuals that are unlikely to access services. Every night, PHP’s Peer Outreach Workers, many of whom are HIV-positive, work within their social networks to effectively target at-risk individuals to talk frankly about drug use, managing HIV and receiving health care and other necessary services. They also distribute condoms and safer sex materials, provide nonjudgmental prevention information, conduct street-level individual counseling and, through PHP’s Club Drug education initiative, frequent nightclubs and bars to inform drug users of interactions of club drugs with HIV medications and other potential risks.

Primary Care and Dental Care: PHP’s onsite collaboration with Positive Health Care (PHC), a licensed medical provider, ensures that all PHP clients have walk-in access to primary care. Among the primary care services provided are HIV counseling and testing; HIV/HCV primary and specialty services; and gynecological care. PHC also provides dental care, which traditionally has been excluded from the services accessible to people living with AIDS.

HIV Testing and Counseling: Due to the recent funding by the CDC, PHP provides rapid HIV testing on-site and via its mobile outreach services using OraQuick Rapid HIV-1 Antibody Test. Testing is free to clients and confidential. HIV counseling is also provided free of charge in accordance with New York State guidelines.

Hepatitis Testing, Vaccination and Counseling: In partnership with the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, PHP offers hepatitis testing, hepatitis A and B vaccination services, and hepatitis C testing and counseling.

Mental Health Services: Virtually all of PHP’s clients have demonstrated the need for mental health services. PHP currently employs a clinical psychologist and a staff social worker, who provide individual, group, and couples counseling and referrals to psychiatric care. All PHP clients also have access to a range of low-threshold mental health services, including support groups, crisis intervention, and peer counseling.

Individual and Group-Level Prevention Education: PHP offers individual counseling sessions and support groups that are designed to help clients better understand and take steps to address their risk behaviors. Support groups are designed for particular subsets of PHP’s client population, including transgender individuals, women, crack users, etc., and offer a safe, supportive environment for clients to talk honestly about their experiences and the challenges they face.

Prevention Case Management: PHP’s Prevention Case Management program targets extremely at-risk individuals, offering individualized crisis management and counseling, treatment advocacy, intensive case management and follow-up, and referrals to primary care and other clinical services designed to facilitate a long-term engagement in care.

Women’s Services: As the epidemic affects more and more women, PHP has developed a range of program customized to the unique needs of women at-risk of or living with HIV/AIDS, including sex workers and substance users. Included among the women’s services are support groups, individual counseling, case management, and crisis intervention.

Transgender Services: PHP offers one of the most comprehensive transgender harm reduction initiatives in the country, employing transgendered individuals to conduct outreach, offer support groups, and provide other critical prevention and supportive services to transgendered individuals, many of whom are sex workers, hormone injectors, and/or drug users.

Acupuncture: PHP has offered acupuncture for more than three years, in order to relieve withdrawal symptoms, reduce drug cravings, and provide support for participants who are seeking abstinence.

Nutritional Services: Most of PHP's participants live chaotic lives dominated by chronic alcohol and drug use in which little time or energy is devoted to balanced meals. PHP offers food and beverages at all support groups as well as nutritional counseling and education about preparing healthy, affordable meals to maintain proper immune functioning.

Demographics
PHP has served at least 8,256 individuals through its various programs. Almost all of the agency’s clients come from the Chelsea/Clinton area. Currently: 70% of PHP clients are male; 25% are female; and 5% are transgendered individuals. 37% are Caucasian; 31% are African American; 30% are Latino/a; and 1% are Asian.

History:
Positive Health Project (PHP) was founded in 1993 to address the alarming impact of the AIDS epidemic on injection drug users in New York City, particularly among disenfranchised populations such as sex workers, transgendered individuals, homeless persons, and individuals recently released from incarceration. The agency’s primary mission always has been to reduce the spread of HIV infection among drug users by reducing risk behaviors, minimizing the harm associated with drug use, and breaking down barriers to HIV prevention, health care, and other critical services. The agency opened as a small drop-in center in the Manhattan neighborhood of Chelsea offering support groups, outreach, and counseling for drug users seeking respite from the streets. Within a year, PHP was offering a full range of harm reduction services, including syringe exchange and numerous supportive services. Since then, the agency has steadily expanded its range of services, establishing an international reputation for its nonjudgmental service delivery model, high-quality harm reduction programs, and mission-driven services that focus on its clients’ need for trust, confidentiality, and respect.

Contact person: Robert Childs,MPH, Operations Manager, (212) 465-8304, (email)
Office fax number: (212) 465-8306

Address:

301 West 37th Street New York City, NY 10018 (See a map)

Directions:

Nearest Metro/Subway Stop: A,B,C,   Walk distance (in minutes): 1