New York State is closer than ever to ending the AIDS epidemic. Governor Cuomo announced Wednesday that 2018 showed the largest decrease in HIV diagnoses yet. 

SUNY Upstate’s Immune Health Services center has joined the fight in Central New York as one of the state’s designated centers for HIV care. Nicky Jennings works on identifying undiagnosed people, getting care for those with HIV, and increasing access to PrEP, which reduces the risk of getting HIV by 99 percent.

"Everybody deserves primary care where they feel safe, they feel accepted as they are, and I'm so happy that we can provide that now,” said Jennings. "HIV risk is a real grey area. I think one of the challenges that we have is that many people who could be at risk for HIV don't think that they are."

She sees patients of all different ages. She's treated homeless people and wealthy people.

"One of the things that we all need to look at is stigma,” she said. “And the way that we look at certain groups of people."

Jennings doesn't believe the epidemic will be over by 2020 because a lot of people aren't seeking the help they need. She says transgender women of color are at a particularly high risk for HIV.

"People feel that they're being judged, shamed,” she said. “It's very hard to help those people when they don't want to come in for medical care or they don't want to talk to the people around them about what they might be struggling with."

But if that stigma dissolves she believes New York will get even closer to ending the epidemic.