AIDS Project of Southern Vermont

06/23/2026

The baggie you see pictured below was bought as “Dope”/Fentanyl. After it was tested, it was confirmed to be Xylazine, BTMPS (UV stabilizer), Bromazolam (sedative), Medetomidine (sedative), Fentanyl. **Narcan does not reverse sedative OR Xylazine**.

At The AIDS Project, we have advanced drug checking equipment that can detect substances test strips can’t, giving people even more information about what may be in their supply. Drug checking and HIV prevention go hand in hand. Harm reduction is prevention. When people come to us for drug checking, it can also open the door to conversations about safer use, wound care, HIV and Hep C testing, and other supports that help keep people alive and as healthy as possible.

Street drugs have changed. Stay informed.

06/18/2026

Our offices will be closed tomorrow to recognize Juneteenth, a day that commemorates the end of slavery in the United States and honors the resilience, achievements, and contributions of Black Americans.

We also recognize that health equity and social justice are deeply connected. Black communities continue to experience disproportionate impacts from HIV due to longstanding systemic barriers to healthcare, prevention services, housing, education, and economic opportunity.

06/17/2026

Hold the date! And if you cannot make the event, contact us for your free and confidential HIV test!

06/17/2026

For our Bennington friends!

06/16/2026

What happens after a person gets their drugs tested? Will they throw them away? Most likely, no. But what drug checking does provide is information , and information can save lives.

After learning what is actually in their supply, a person may choose to use less, avoid using alone, carry naloxone, go slower, avoid mixing substances, or tell others what was found so they can make safer decisions too. This is harm reduction. Harm reduction meets people where they are and helps reduce risk in the moment. A life saved today could be the next person to enter treatment, seek mental health support, reconnect with family, find stability, or make a major change in their life. You cannot recover, heal, or make changes if you are not alive. Harm reduction helps keep people alive long enough for that next step to be possible.

06/16/2026

So honored to have been invited to the Whistlestop Pride event this year! Nothing but love! See ya next June!

06/14/2026

Is your local train station on the list! Yes? Head down there and celebrate Pride! Today in Bellows Falls at 12:30 and in Brattleboro at 1:00!

06/14/2026

Check out how an HIV test works AND see our summer testing schedule! Self care and sex-positive! Know your status! The AIDS Project has several FREE and CONFIDENTIAL testing opportunities this summer for folks ages 14 +.
🔹TODAY June 14th at Whistlestop Pride in Brattleboro at the train station from 12-2. Look for our outreach van! Train comes around 1PM so be sure to come a little before to celebrate Pride!
🔹TODAY June 14th at The Root Social Justice Center in Brattleboro for a Soul Food Sunday Pride Mixer from 2-4. BIPOC-led HIV testing for BIPOC individuals.
🔹TOMORROW June 15th at PAVE in Bennington 12-3!
🔹Friday, June 26th 11-3 in recognition of National HIV Testing day at The Walgreens on Canal St. in Brattleboro (Facebook info coming soon!).
🔹Catch us at our outreach van every Monday this summer in the Preston Lot (on Flat St. across from the transportation center) in Brattleboro from 9:30-noon.

06/09/2026

Positively Aware wants to know! How do YOU take control of your HIV care?
Share your answer in the comments or send it to them by direct message. Select responses will appear in the next issue of Positively Aware!

Positively Aware wants to know, How do you take control of your HIV care?

Whether it’s asking questions at appointments, staying on top of your medications, finding a provider you trust, building a support network or something else entirely, we want to hear from you.

Share your answer in the comments or send it to us by direct message. Select responses will appear in the next issue of PA.