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Learn about HIV/AIDS Issues Impacting Women and Girls during Women’s History Month in Union County

Union County, NJ – The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders is pleased to recognize Women’s History Month with a series of event highlighting both history and health issues impacting women and girls in Union County.

“This year marks the first time that five women have seats on the Freeholder Board, making it the first female-majority Freeholder Board in Union County history,” said Freeholder Chair Bette Jane Kowalski. “In recognition of this historical milestone, we are sponsoring additional Women’s History Month events that raise awareness about HIV/AIDS, an important health issues affecting the lives of women and girls today.”

Women’s History Month takes place throughout the month of March, including a day reserved for recognizing National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day on March 10.

The Freeholder Board has partnered with Iris House of Plainfield to offer three free Women’s HIV/AIDS Awareness events at the three Union County College campuses in Plainfield, Cranford and Elizabeth.

Each event includes a brief educational presentation followed by Q&A with expert staff from Iris House. Rapid, confidential HIV/AIDS testing will be offered separately at each campus. To ensure privacy, testing will take place in the Iris House mobile unit parked at each UCC campus during the educational presentation event times.

Iris House, named for early HIV Activist Iris De La Cruz, was the nation’s first HIV/AIDS agency to provide family focused services to women of color infected and affected by HIV. It offers comprehensive support, prevention and education services for women, families, and underserved populations affected by HIV/AIDS and other health disparities in a safe, family-centered environment by passionate, professional and culturally competent staff.

For more information about Iris House and its comprehensive services visit irishouse.org.

All three events are open to the public.

The educational presentations will begin at 2:00 p.m. on each day. Testing at the mobile units also be available on a walk-in basis for individuals ages 18 and older from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. each day.

Dates and locations:

Monday, March 18: Union County College Cranford Campus, in Room SD229 in the new Student Development Building. The main entrance to the campus is located at 1033 Springfield Avenue in Cranford.

Tuesday, March 19: Union County College Plainfield Campus, in Room LG119 in the Logos Building located at 232 East Second Street in Plainfield.

Thursday, March 21: Union County College, Elizabeth Campus, in Room K517 at the UCC Kellogg Building located at 40 West Jersey Street, Elizabeth.

The Iris House presentations are designed to cover basic facts about HIV and AIDS including:

  • What is HIV
  • What is the difference between HIV and AIDS
  • How is HIV transmitted: fact vs. myth
  • How to protect against HIV includes: condoms, abstinence, and other methods

Union County’s recognition of Women’s History Month also includes an exhibition of notable women in Union County history in the Freeholder’s Gallery, located on the 6th Floor of the Union County Administration Building, at 10 Elizabeth Plaza in Elizabeth. The gallery is open to the public during regular weekday business hours.

Also scheduled for the month of March are:

Friday, March 29th, 2019:  Women of Excellence Awards presentation, sponsored by the Freeholder Board through the Office on Women and Union County Commission on the Status of Women, will take place at Gran Centurions, 440 Madison Hill Road, Clark, beginning at 6:00 p.m. For ticket information contact the Office on Women, Jennifer Erdos at 908-527-4216.

Saturday, March 30th, 2019:  The Office on Women presents the play “In Their Footsteps” at the Hamilton Stage, 360 Hamilton Street in Rahway at 1:30 p.m. The event includes a screening of the Union County Women Making History video, a Q-and-A session, and a reception.

For more information about these or additional Union County Women’s History month events, visit ucnj.org/women or contact the Office on Women at jerdos@ucnj.org.

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For all Union County programs and services visit ucnj.org, call the Public Info Line, 877-424-1234, email info@ucnj.org or use the online Contact Form.

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