The New York State Department of Health AIDS Institute (NYSDOH) honored the Montefiore AIDS Center staff for their work in the field of HIV/AIDS and Alain Litwin M.D. for his contributions to the field of hepatitis C (HCV). New York is home to approximately 116,000 people living with HIV or AIDS. Additionally, an estimated 200,000 New Yorkers have chronic hepatitis C, which like HIV, can be acquired by contact with blood.

“This award is the result of a tremendous team effort over many years to build the finest HIV/AIDS program and to treat every patient with care and compassion,” said Barry Zingman M.D., medical director, AIDS Center at Montefiore and professor of clinical medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine. “We are pleased to be recognized for making a difference to each patient, to each family and to the HIV epidemic across the state and beyond.”

The Montefiore AIDS Center and its Center for Positive Living/Infectious Diseases Clinic, which is the largest HIV clinic in New York State,provides a range of supportive services for people with HIV/AIDS including nutrition services and behavioral health counseling as well as post and pre-exposure prophylaxis treatment for those at risk of acquiring HIV.

Alain Litwin, M.D., M.P.H., M.S., attending physician, Addiction Medicine, Montefiore Health System and professor of medicine and of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, is being honored for promoting hepatitis C testing and improving access to hepatitis C care and treatment. Dr. Litwin’s work includes creating a national model to integrate HCV treatment into methadone clinics and original research on HCV treatment in people who actively inject drugs. He is also an advocate for access to treatment for both substance abuse and HCV.

“This award brings visibility for the needs of a marginalized population,” said Dr. Litwin. “We intend to keep improving our models of care so people who inject drugs can get effective, safe treatment for HCV. As 80 percent of new hepatitis C infections occur in active drug users, treating people who inject drugs is key to managing the disease at a population level.”

New York State Commissioner Howard Zucker M.D. will present both awards today at 3 p.m. at the Empire State Plaza Convention Center in Albany. Dr. Zucker will recognize individuals for their commitment, contribution and response to improve and promote the health and wellbeing of all New Yorkers.

admin

Welcome to the Norwood News, a bi-weekly community newspaper that primarily serves the northwest Bronx communities of Norwood, Bedford Park, Fordham and University Heights. Through our Breaking Bronx blog, we focus on news and information for those neighborhoods, but aim to cover as much Bronx-related news as possible. Founded in 1988 by Mosholu Preservation Corporation, a not-for-profit affiliate of Montefiore Medical Center, the Norwood News began as a monthly and grew to a bi-weekly in 1994. In September 2003 the paper expanded to cover University Heights and now covers all the neighborhoods of Community District 7. The Norwood News exists to foster communication among citizens and organizations and to be a tool for neighborhood development efforts. The Norwood News runs the Bronx Youth Journalism Heard, a journalism training program for Bronx high school students. As you navigate this website, please let us know if you discover any glitches or if you have any suggestions. We’d love to hear from you. You can send e-mails to norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org or call us anytime (718) 324-4998.