Southampton Hospital Program Director Honored for Work With HIV/AIDS Patients on Long Island

SOUTHAMPTON, NY — A man dedicated to helping those with HIV and AIDS on the East End, and across Long Island, will be honored for his work on World AIDS Day.

Traditionally observed on December 1, World AIDS Day "provides an opportunity for governments, national AIDS programs, churches, community organizations, and individuals to demonstrate the importance of the fight against AIDS," according to a release from Southampton Hospital.

This year, the Nassau Suffolk HIV Health Services Planning Council’s World AIDS Day observance will be held on Friday, December 2 from 6:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. at Carlyle on the Green in Farmingdale.

Michael Collins, program director of Southampton Hospital’s David E. Rogers, MD Center for HIV/AIDS Care will be one of two recipients of the Distinguished Provider of the Year Award "for his dedication, commitment and positive impact on those infected and affected by HIV/AIDS on Long Island," the release said.

According to the hospital, New York State has implemented a three-point plan to end the AIDS epidemic by the end of 2020. As of December 2015, there were over 5,400 individuals living with HIV/AIDS on Long Island; more than half of those individuals were helped by the Ryan White Part A Program on Long Island, many of them at Southampton Hospital’s David E. Rogers, MD Center for HIV/AIDS Care.