ACR Health Is Here To Help
*Written in Spring of 2019 “If you hear gunshots, run back into the van immediately.” Those were the first words Belinda Felder, ACR Health’s SEP Coordinator, told her group of three peer counselors when they arrived in an abandoned parking lot on Syracuse’s westside. Once parked, Brown would stay in the van to help administer clean syringe needles to current clients while her three peer counselors, Dave Andres, Brian Allen and Gaga DePasquale, took to the streets, where they would ultimately pick up and dispose of over 300 contaminated syringes in less than two hours. Brown and her team of workers all work for ACR Health, a nonprofit organization devoted to helping people addicted to opioids through various programs such as narcan training and their syringe exchange outreach. According to their mission statement, they strive for, “a community in which every person has the opportunity to achieve optimal health and equality.” Their mission is spreading, with membership fees and donation