The New Jersey AIDS Partnership Supports Expanded A.C.E. Program

July 2007—The New Jersey AIDS Partnership has awarded a grant of $28,000 to Broadway House for Continuing Care to support the A.C.E (AIDS Community Education) HIV prevention education program.

The Partnership is one of 31 such entities in the United States that make up the National AIDS Fund. It operates as a collaborative effort of private funders, public health officials, service providers, persons living with HIV/AIDS and other community leaders who believe that HIV/AIDS is fought most effectively at the community level. The Partnership continually works to identify and support effective prevention education, early intervention and harm reduction programs targeting those populations and geographic areas in our state most at risk for contracting the disease. 

The A.C.E. program, currently being offered in the Newark school district, is a comprehensive educational opportunity for students in grades four through twelve to learn about HIV/AIDS. Prior to the students visiting Broadway House, teachers are given age appropriate material to review with their students. Students tour the Broadway House facility, participate in a staff led workshop and have the chance to meet individuals living with HIV/AIDS and learn about their experiences. Now in its third year, the A.C.E. initiative worked with 1,200 Newark students during the 2006-07 school year.

The goals of this innovative program are numerous. Students receive accurate information on HIV/AIDS; they are educated about high-risk behaviors as they relate to contracting the HIV virus and they are counseled about the negative consequences of substance abuse. The focus is to promote healthy decision making for life.

Education is one of the keys to prevention of HIV/AIDS. This additional funding from the New Jersey AIDS Partnership will allow Broadway House to expand its outreach effort to schools beyond the Newark area. Other urban areas, as well as suburban schools, will benefit from the opportunity to share the message of prevention and to increase awareness of the disease and sensitivity to those persons living with it. If bringing students to Broadway House is not practical, the workshop can be presented on the school campus. For more information about Broadway House or the A.C.E. program contact Joy Robinson at 973 268-9797.

Broadway House for Continuing Care is grateful to all the organizations that generously fund this program.

Broadway House For Continuing Care - 298 Broadway Newark, New Jersey 07104 - (973) 268-9797