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12:30 AM
NEW BRUNSWICK —"Look to the Future," a collaborative observance of the 20th anniversary of World AIDS Day, will be conducted from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 2, in the Arline and Henry Schwartzman Courtyard at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, One Robert Wood Johnson Place.
The observance will feature a special memorial service from noon to 1 p.m. to honor those who have lost their battle and to celebrate the lives of those living with the disease, including readings from clients and invited guests.
Program highlights include performance artist Pandora Scooter from 1-2 p.m., and an art show featuring work from local high school students and persons living with HIV/AIDS. A client and pastoral care discussion also will be held, after which guests may visit information booths to obtain literature and speak with providers and health experts.
Free Rapid HIV testing will be offered throughout the day. Trained counselors will be available to discuss the confidential test results, which are provided in 20 minutes. Free Rapid HIV testing and counseling also is available on an ongoing basis through the Robert Wood Johnson AIDS Program, which offers confidential, free HIV services for adults and children. For more information and appointments, call 732-235-6142.
The event is jointly sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson AIDS program in the Department of Pediatrics at UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, and the "Our VOICES" Client Caucus of the Middlesex County Department of Human Services HIV Health Services Planning Council-Ryan White Part A Grant. Bristol-Myers Squibb Children's Hospital at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, the RWJUH Community Health Program and the RWJUH Pastoral Care department also are contributing to the event.
World AIDS Day was established internationally in 1988 and is conducted annually in December to highlight HIV/AIDS, increase awareness of the epidemic and fight prejudice. This year's national observance focuses on leadership.
According to the World AIDS Campaign, the theme highlights both the political leadership needed to fulfill commitments that have been made in response to HIV/AIDS, particularly the promise of universal access to prevention, treatment, care and support, and celebrating the leadership that has been witnessed at all levels of society by individuals, in schools and within families.
The New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS), in recognition of World AIDS Day on Dec. 1, is co-sponsoring a series of events designed to raise awareness and understanding of the impact of HIV/AIDS worldwide and to encourage residents to get tested for HIV.
The World AIDS Day Campaign has chosen as its theme from 2005 to 2010: "Stop AIDS. Keep the Promise," which commemorates leadership and highlights the need for innovation, vision and perseverance.
"It has been three decades since AIDS appeared and although there have been significant accomplishments in reigning in this disease, recent studies show that the crisis is still with us," said state Department of Health and Senior Services Commissioner Heather Howard. "It is important we take steps in mitigating the impact of this epidemic. Today is an opportunity to work in partnership with all stakeholders and encourage people to get a Rapid HIV test to learn their status, and get necessary treatment."
According to the 2008 state Department of Health and Senior Services' Division of HIV/AIDS Services Report, more than 35,000 persons were reported living with HIV or AIDS in New Jersey, with minorities accounting for 76 percent of adult/adolescent cumulative HIV/AIDS cases and 78 percent of all persons living with the disease.
New Jersey ranks fifth among the states with more than 70,000 cumulative AIDS cases and has one of the highest percentages of women who have the disease.
Injection drug use and sexual contact remain the major modes of exposure to HIV infection.
While the proportion of reported cases with HIV/AIDS who were exposed through injection drug use (IDU) is lower than in the past, the proportion of cases that were exposed through sexual contact is increasing.
Source: mycentraljersey.com
The observance will feature a special memorial service from noon to 1 p.m. to honor those who have lost their battle and to celebrate the lives of those living with the disease, including readings from clients and invited guests.
Program highlights include performance artist Pandora Scooter from 1-2 p.m., and an art show featuring work from local high school students and persons living with HIV/AIDS. A client and pastoral care discussion also will be held, after which guests may visit information booths to obtain literature and speak with providers and health experts.
Free Rapid HIV testing will be offered throughout the day. Trained counselors will be available to discuss the confidential test results, which are provided in 20 minutes. Free Rapid HIV testing and counseling also is available on an ongoing basis through the Robert Wood Johnson AIDS Program, which offers confidential, free HIV services for adults and children. For more information and appointments, call 732-235-6142.
The event is jointly sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson AIDS program in the Department of Pediatrics at UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, and the "Our VOICES" Client Caucus of the Middlesex County Department of Human Services HIV Health Services Planning Council-Ryan White Part A Grant. Bristol-Myers Squibb Children's Hospital at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, the RWJUH Community Health Program and the RWJUH Pastoral Care department also are contributing to the event.
World AIDS Day was established internationally in 1988 and is conducted annually in December to highlight HIV/AIDS, increase awareness of the epidemic and fight prejudice. This year's national observance focuses on leadership.
According to the World AIDS Campaign, the theme highlights both the political leadership needed to fulfill commitments that have been made in response to HIV/AIDS, particularly the promise of universal access to prevention, treatment, care and support, and celebrating the leadership that has been witnessed at all levels of society by individuals, in schools and within families.
The New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS), in recognition of World AIDS Day on Dec. 1, is co-sponsoring a series of events designed to raise awareness and understanding of the impact of HIV/AIDS worldwide and to encourage residents to get tested for HIV.
The World AIDS Day Campaign has chosen as its theme from 2005 to 2010: "Stop AIDS. Keep the Promise," which commemorates leadership and highlights the need for innovation, vision and perseverance.
"It has been three decades since AIDS appeared and although there have been significant accomplishments in reigning in this disease, recent studies show that the crisis is still with us," said state Department of Health and Senior Services Commissioner Heather Howard. "It is important we take steps in mitigating the impact of this epidemic. Today is an opportunity to work in partnership with all stakeholders and encourage people to get a Rapid HIV test to learn their status, and get necessary treatment."
According to the 2008 state Department of Health and Senior Services' Division of HIV/AIDS Services Report, more than 35,000 persons were reported living with HIV or AIDS in New Jersey, with minorities accounting for 76 percent of adult/adolescent cumulative HIV/AIDS cases and 78 percent of all persons living with the disease.
New Jersey ranks fifth among the states with more than 70,000 cumulative AIDS cases and has one of the highest percentages of women who have the disease.
Injection drug use and sexual contact remain the major modes of exposure to HIV infection.
While the proportion of reported cases with HIV/AIDS who were exposed through injection drug use (IDU) is lower than in the past, the proportion of cases that were exposed through sexual contact is increasing.
Source: mycentraljersey.com
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