HIV/AIDS

A National Leader in HIV/AIDS Care Since 1981

Albany Medical Center has been the region's New York State-Designated AIDS Treatment Center for more than 40 years. We provide services to people living with HIV/AIDS, regardless of their ability to pay. In addition, we coordinate support services for patients by working with community organizations and government agencies and offer HIV prevention and post-exposure services.

We offer our patients:

  • Free confidential HIV testing with rapid results
  • Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV prevention
  • Emergency Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP)
  • Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD) screening, treatment, and prevention
  • 24-hour provider hotline
  • Patient education
  • Case management services
  • Mental health services
  • Substance abuse services
  • Nutrition services
  • Education and training for health care professionals

Free HIV testing is available at the Albany Medical Center Department of Medicine Clinic, located at 1 Clara Barton Drive in Albany. Test results are available within 20 minutes. If results are positive, blood is drawn and sent to a lab for confirmation. Counseling is available for all patients. If a test is positive, patients are connected to a provider at no charge.

Testing is available Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Call 518-262-4043 to make an appointment.

  • We assist patients with medical case management services within our clinic. We also assist patients with accessing community resources and services by making referrals that includes housing, food, income assistance, SSI and disability services, and employment services.
  • We offer mental health services to assist people dealing with the emotional and psychological impact of living with HIV. Mental health services are initiated via a referral form from the patient’s health care provider or case manager. Services are available to patients regardless of ability to pay. To find out more about current support groups and mental health services, call Susan Klemme at 518-264-9374.
  • Substance use services are available to assist patients who are at risk for substance use or who have active substance abuse issues, services are available to patients regardless of ability to pay.
  • Our clinical dietitians assess nutritional needs for patients to restore or maintain the best possible health status. We offer Bioimpedance Analysis (BIA) to all patients to evaluate and monitor distribution of body water, fat, and muscle mass. Call 518-262-4043 to schedule an appointment. Insurance is required.

 

Community Advisory Board

Our Community Advisory Board meets alternate months to address issues related to our clinic and the surrounding community. For more information, call 518-262-4676.

Albany Medical Center is a regional partner under the Northeast/Caribbean AIDS Education and Training Center (NECA AETC) which conducts education and training programs for health care providers and organizations treating people with HIV/AIDS. The AETC Program is the training arm of the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program established in 1987 by the Department of Health and Human Services' Health Resources and Services Administration.

Our AETC-supported HIV training programs are offered to a 47-county region and targets physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, nurses, clinical pharmacists, oral health professionals, social workers, mental health providers, and case managers. To schedule an education program, call 518-262-6864 or email [email protected].

  • Didactic and interactive trainings
  • Mini-residencies/preceptorships
  • Clinical consultations/chart reviews/case conferences
  • Organizational capacity building

 

Clinical Consultations

Clinical consultations are provided by HIV/HCV/PrEP/PEP specialists for an individual or group of providers. Providers may discuss HIV/HCV/Prep/PEP care questions in person or via telephone and email, or through online webinars.

These consultations are intended to improve clinical problem solving, allow the provider to make appropriate clinical care decisions, and provide the most up-to-date information about HIV/HCV/PrEP/PEP patient care guidelines.

For a consultation Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m., call 518-262-6864 or email [email protected]. Questions may also be faxed to 888-448-4911. Calls placed close to or after 4:30 p.m. will be returned the next morning.

If you have experienced an occupational exposure such as a needle stick, please call 518-262-4043 to speak with a physician at any time of day.

CME-Accredited Courses

Changes occur rapidly in the fields of HIV and hepatology. Albany Medical College, through the Northeast/Caribbean AIDS Education and Training Center (NECA AETC), offers five CME-accredited courses designed to provide practitioners with the most up-to-date clinical information to assist in their care of patients living with HIV and/or hepatitis C.

Target Audience

Community-based physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, registered nurses, and pharmacists who care for those infected with HIV and/or hepatitis C in upstate New York. These courses are clinical in content.

Course Format

Northeast/Caribbean AETC faculty will travel to your site at no charge to deliver didactic sessions, followed by question and answer periods. Presentations can be tailored to attendees’ knowledge and skill levels caring for patients living with HIV and/or hepatitis C. We also have dedicated technical staff to offer your site distance-based learning, where AETC faculty can provide live, interactive presentations.

The National Clinician Consultation Center, a component of the AIDS Education and Training Centers Program, is funded by the Health Resources and Services Administration in partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Albany Medical Center is one of the largest providers of HIV correctional education in the United States. We are home to the HIV Correctional Regional Resource Center under the Northeast/Caribbean AIDS Education & Training Center (NECA AETC). Under the NECA AETC, Albany Medical Center develops and implements multiple HIV education programs for correctional providers to enhance their HIV treatment, knowledge and expertise.

Our programs include:

  • Telemedicine Education
  • Live National Webcast
  • HIV Clinical Consultations: A Free Telephone Service (see below)
  • HIV Resource List for Corrections Professionals (see below)

For more information, contact Lejla Stocevic at 518-262-4674 or email [email protected].

HIV Clinical Consultations

The care of inmates living with HIV is complicated. Albany Medical Center provides the HIV Clinical Consultation Service, a free telephone service for New York State correctional providers with basic or advanced HIV knowledge. An infectious disease clinician skilled in HIV care will discuss patient management with callers.

Consultations may include but are not limited to:

  • Management of antiretroviral therapy
  • Interpretation of HIV resistance testing
  • Diagnosis and treatment of opportunistic infections
  • Hepatitis C & HIV co-infection
  • Post Exposure Prophylaxis

Provider Hotlines:
Consultative Support for Health Care Workers in Upstate New York
HIV/HCV/PrEP/PEP Clinical Consultations

518-262-6864
[email protected]
Monday - Friday 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

If you have experienced an occupational exposure such as a needle stick, call 888-448-4911. You will be given an opportunity to speak to a physician 24 hours a day.

Resources

AIDS.gov
Bureau of Justice Statistics, Corrections Statistics Homepage
Bureau of Justice Statistics, Prisons Statistics, Including HIV Reports
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Correctional Health
City of New York Department of Correction
Diamond Pharmacy, Correctional Pharmacy Provider
Federal Bureau of Prisons
National Commission on Correctional Health Care
National Hepatitis Corrections Network
New Jersey Department of Correctional Services
New York/New Jersey AIDS Education and Training Center
New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision
New York State Department of Health, Corrections and HIV/AIDS

There are no events currently scheduled. Albany Med Health System events can be found here.

HIV and Aging: Adapting Clinical Care as Our Patients Live Longer
Feb. 2, 2024
Eugenia Siegler, MD
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LGBTQ+ Cultural Competency
Jan. 19, 2024
Anthony Santella, DrPH
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From Elimination to Epidemic: Syphilis on the Rise in New York State
Nov. 3, 2023
Danilea DiMarco, MD, MPH & Wilson Miranda, MPH
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What We Know About Xylazine
Oct. 6, 2023
Sharon Stancliff, MD
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2023 HIV and Hepatitis C Clinical Care Symposium
June 7, 2023
HIV Antiretroviral Update
Opioid Use Disorder
ABC's of Hepatitis
HIV and Aging
Suicide Prevention and HIV

New and Novel ART for Persons with HIV
April 19, 2023
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Women with Alcohol/Substance Use Disorders: Increasing Prevention and Adherence
March 17, 2023
View presentation

Cancer Prevention in Persons with HIV
March 3, 2023
View presentation

Hepatitis B: Prevention & Management in Adults with HIV
Feb. 3, 2023
View presentation

 

With proper medical care, patients can live a normal lifespan. Today, 93 percent of our HIV patients have undetectable viral loads. That also means they cannot transmit HIV.”
Cindy Miller, MD