Posts
The state government of New Jersey
recently awarded $92,000 to the Ocean County Board of Health for HIV/AIDS
prevention in fiscal year 2013. According to Leslie D. Terjesen, the county’s
Board of Health spokesperson, the funds will be used for the counseling and
testing program, as the HIV/AIDS clinic is funded through the Ryan White
Program. Terjesen stated that the counseling and testing clinic tested 784
persons in 2011 and 578 persons as of late October of this year.
The Ocean County Health Department
provides free and confidential HIV counseling and testing and maintains a full
service clinic for HIV/AIDS patients who have no medical insurance. Testing is
done on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings of each week at its main headquarters. A
limited number of daytime appointments can be made, and bilingual counseling is
available.
The state’s Department of Health
estimates that more than 36,000 people in New Jersey are living with HIV.
Approximately 7,000 state residents with HIV/AIDS receive drugs through the
health department’s AIDS drug distribution program. Testing sites located in
all 21 counties include community organizations, hospitals, health departments,
community health centers, and other health care facilities. Funding was
distributed for specific purposes: some agencies, such as the Ocean County
Board of Health, received grants in one category, and other organizations
received funding for care, treatment, and behavioral services.
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is
dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and
empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV
virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
