Core Mission

No one knows when an anaphylactic emergency could occur. Just ask Judy Valachovic, Agritainment Operations Manager at Wickham Farms in Penfield, New York. When she went to work one day last fall, she had no idea she would help save a life. But thanks to the farm's participation in an Epi Near You New York training session and subsequent stocking of non-patient-specific epinephrine, she and her co-workers were able to do just that. A young woman visiting the farm was stung by a bee but did not have her own epinephrine delivery device with her. Before losing consciousness…

Summer is the perfect time to connect with neighbors, discover local organizations, and celebrate community at health and wellness fairs. For Allergy Advocates New York, these events are also an opportunity to help make our communities safer through education, awareness, and preparedness. Our mission is simple: help more people recognize the signs of anaphylaxis and understand that epinephrine is the first-line treatment for severe allergic reactions. Every conversation we have at our table has the potential to prepare someone to respond confidently during a life-threatening emergency. This…

Allergy Advocates New York had high hopes for our free epinephrine training program when we founded it in 2017, but even so, it has exceeded our expectations. In the nine years since beginning Epi Near You New York, we have taught over 4,000 people not just how to recognize an anaphylactic reaction, but how to treat it and save lives. The program has also provided the certification needed to allow the stocking of epinephrine in schools, businesses, and other venues, as well as financial assistance to help nonprofits obtain it at no cost. Just as meaningful as our measurable success, however…

The Urgency of Simplicity In the chaos of a life-threatening allergic reaction, clarity is not a luxury; it’s a necessity. For decades, the medical standard was simple: recognizing symptoms, administering epinephrine, and going to the emergency room. These steps were not just medically sound; they were teachable, repeatable, and life-saving. Recent updates to anaphylaxis guidelines introduce more nuanced decision-making, including risk stratification and shared patient-provider choices. While well-intentioned, this shift risks replacing certainty with hesitation, especially in emergencies w…

Everyone is eating more and more food prepared commercially at restaurants of all types. When eating out, those managing diagnosed life threatening food allergies have to be hyper-vigilant in their communications with food service staff at all levels by confirming ingredient lists and the use of effective cross-contamination safety protocols, like those taught by MenuTrinfo. For those with undiagnosed food allergies, they often discover their allergy by having their first anaphylactic reaction while eating out. The remedy for this risk is for food service establishments to stock non-patient-…

As reported in the University of Delaware's independent student newspaper, The Review, kudos to the University of Delaware Food Services for joining their counterparts at other colleges stocking epinephrine and training their staff how to use it to keep their food allergic students safe. College is often a young adult's first taste of independence and self advocacy. As other research shows, this is a risky time for those managing allergies completely on their own for the first time.  Because of the broad range of food routinely and safely served in university food services, they are uniq…