Four years ago the COVID-19 pandemic struck our nation…33,000 New Jerseyans lost their lives! An independent review of NJ's response to the emergency concluded that the state was grossly unprepared. How were you affected?

What lessons have we learned? Are we prepared for the next health crises?

• Learn about the services offered by the county public health departments

• Learn about what your county is doing to prepare for the next health emergency

• Learn what you can do to prepare

• Provide valuable input into how health services can be provided

Who should attend this meeting? People with disabilities, family members, and their allies.

First 15 people who sign up get a $20 ShopRite gift card!

Flu season is here...time for YOU to get vaccinated!

Adults over 60 years old and those with chronic health conditions are particularly at risk to get the flu. To avoid complications associated with the flu, including hospitalization and death, the CDC urges everyone to get a flu vaccine.

ACI, USAging, and Crown Family Medical Care will be having a free flu vaccine event this winter. Everyone who receives a vaccine and completes a short survey will receive a Holiday Express Personal Health and Hygiene bag or a $20.00 ShopRite gift card (while supplies last).

Emergency preparedness volunteers needed!

Join the Middlesex County Department of Health and the Alliance Center for Independence for a Radiological Community Reception Center Exercise.

Your participation will help emergency managers plan for possible future disasters. During the exercise, First Responders, volunteers, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and members of the disabled community will work together to learn about Radiation Emergencies and how a Community Reception Center operates.

Free lunch and gift bags will be distributed.

Registration deadline is May 23rd.

ACI has teamed up with Saint Peter's University Hospital, Community Mobile Health Program to conduct free blood pressure and blood sugar screenings as part of our series of health and wellness workshops.

Fasting is not required for this screening.

Join us and the Middlesex County Health Department for a night of education and community engagement.

Free flu shots! New Bivalent boosters will be available!

Refreshments will be served.

If you have any questions, please contact Kim Garcia at kgarcia@adacil.org or 732-738-4388.

Come on out to ACI’s Family Fun Day on Saturday, June 25th from 12:00 to 4:00 PM!

Featuring…

• Small games & prizes!

• Food trucks!

• Ice cream!

• Face painters!

• Fun characters!

• Music!

• …and more!

We will also be offering FREE COVID-19 vaccines and booster shots (provided by the NJ Department of Health) for people with disabilities and their families. We will be giving out a $25 ShopRite gift card and free ice cream to those who complete our survey and get a vaccine!

NOTE: In case of inclement weather, the rain date will be July 9th from 12:00 to 4:00 PM.

If you have any questions, please contact ACI at adacil@adacil.org or 732-738-4388.

Sign-up to Volunteer!

We are looking for volunteers to help out with this event! If you’re interested, please fill out the volunteer form below.

Need help making an appointment for a COVID-19 vaccine? We can assist you!

• In-Person Registration: Stop by and let us help you find and register for a vaccine appointment near you!

• Over the Phone: Call 201-500-5152. Hotline operating hours are from 10 AM to 3 PM.

If you need help scheduling a ride for a vaccinate appointment, please contact Kim Garcia at kgarcia@adacil.org or 201-500-5152.

In this 2 hour workshop, you will learn about healthy coping strategies to help you deal with stresses of everyday life and difficult situations. You will learn what strategies work best for you to help manage stress levels as well as practice different ways to help lower stress including drumming out your feelings and a mindful meditation session.

NOTE: Due to social distancing protocols, advanced registration will be mandatory and limited to the first 8 people. Masks and temperature readings will also be mandatory upon arrival.

COVID-19 vaccine and booster shots will be available at the Edison Senior Center on February 24th from 3:30 to 5:30 PM. Available vaccines: Pfizer (for ages 5 years and up), Moderna, and J&J.

COVID-19 testing will also be available. No appointments necessary.

The Mobile Family Success Center (MFSC) of Middlesex County will be providing FREE face masks, community resources, and snacks.

Pre-registration encouraged. Walk-ins welcome.

Parking available on Woodbridge Ave lot.

ACI is currently recruiting participants with disabilities for the fall Living Well in the Community program!

Living Well in the Community is a 10-session program developed by the Rural Institute at the University of Montana focusing on setting and maintaining goals to improve your health and wellness. Topics include: goal setting, staying on course, advocacy, healthy communication, independent living, eating well, and physical activity. All sessions will be presented remotely through Zoom video conferencing.

To be eligible, participants must:

• Be 18 years old or over.

• Be their own guardian (preferred).

• Be available Friday mornings 10 AM to 12 PM from September 18th through November 20th.

• Have the ability to participate by computer or phone.

• Complete and submit surveys.

Selected participants will each receive three $20 money orders.

The sessions are hands-on, using videos, discussion and fun activities. Certificates of Completion are awarded to all participants at the final session.

Interested? Join us for an Orientation Session to learn more about the program.

Our friends at Saint Peter’s University Hospital Community Health Services will be coming to ACI to provide free cholesterol screenings.

SUGGESTED DONATION: $3.00

Making a smoothie is a great way to stay cool in the summer while eating your fruits and veggies. Join us on Friday, July 27th from 1:30 to 3:00 PM as we learn how to make smoothies, sample different flavor combinations, and create our own recipes!

NOTE: Registration is currently full. Please fill out the form below to be added to the waiting list.

Presented by Michael Pearson, Jr., Training and Technical Assistance Coordinator, New Jersey Self-Advocacy Project

The Survival Guide to Healthy Relationships is a free workshop that focuses on the different types of relationships that people will experience in their lives.

This workshop will examine the common characteristics of relationships, as well as how our behavior and communication style differs in each scenario. It will also provide information on boundaries, personal space, and appropriate greetings in different types of social settings. Important tips about electronic communication and social media will be provided to promote safety in online relationships.

COST: $3

JourneyDance moves us through deep, personal exploration into a loving, intimate relationship with body, mind, and source energy. This sensual and exhilarating union of dance, visualization, and ritual calls us to get funky and divine!

We are carried through an intentional and seamless flow of simple movement sequences and free expression. We are led with exuberance and compassion to a place of authentic communication with our creative spirit, where we discover our hearts’ desires.

We embody our physical temple. We explore our inner realms. We connect with our inner shaman creator to burn the mind’s clogging clutter and make space for the abundance of joy that is available to us. As we create this powerful ritual together-in community-we liberate old cellular memories, cleanse the body and mind with sweat and breath, and elevate our vibration.

About Joy Okoye
Joy Lynn Okoye is an experimental movement artist, JourneyDance Facilitator, Integral Yoga Teacher, and Transformational Wellness Coach. She is the creator of Body+Mind+Soul Wellness Coaching programs and workshops which use JourneyDance, creative arts, dramatic arts, and coaching techniques to bring forth a powerful environment for self-healing work. Her current artistic project, Lumina (The Beauty Wound Project), is an interactive and partially improvisational dance performance project that was inspired by JourneyDance and celebrates the diverse beauty of women’s bodies in soulful expression (and the stories that go along with them).

Learn more here: joylynnokoye.com

ACI is proud to partner with the American Public Health Association (APHA) for National Public Health Week!

During the first week of April each year, APHA brings together communities across the United States to observe National Public Health Week to recognize the contributions of public health and highlight issues that are important to improving our nation.

Join us while we promote National Public Health Week by carrying signs and walking & rolling for our health! We will be meeting at the ACI office located at 629 Amboy Ave, Edison, NJ 08837.

Want to help make signs? Meet us at the ACI office on March 22nd from 11:00 AM to 12:30 PM. Pizza included!

ACI and drum facilitator, John Toth, will be playing drumming games and drumming to music! This is a great way to reduce stress, improve your overall attitude, and have some fun!

Bring your own drum or share ours!

No experience needed!

Registration deadline is March 19th.

Presented by the NJ Health Care Talent Network

Learn about various occupations in health care and how to jump start your training today! Apprenticeship opportunities available to earn while you learn.

"Empty calories"...what are they?

Nutrition labels...what does all that information mean anyway?

Eating healthy? I'm not a fan of cooking, so how can I make more nutritious food choices?

Having some basic tools and information to help you make healthy choices and knowing how to prevent illness is a key part of staying well. Join us for some helpful tips on nutrition, meal planning, grocery shopping, making healthy substitutions, portion sizes and more. Presented by Colleen Roche of the NJ Division of Disability Services.

This workshop is intended for people with disabilities who may be living on their own for the first time and/or those who may not feel comfortable in the kitchen or grocery store.

Presented by ACI in conjunction with #NOZika and NJID.

Join us for an informative workshop on how you can protect yourself and others from Zika!

Get your hearing checked with a free auditory screening conducted by St. Peter's University Hospital's Community Mobile Health Program.

Featuring a presentation by ClearCaptions, manufacturers of communication equipment for individuals with hearing loss. Free caption phones will be distributed to those with hearing impairments who have trouble using conventional phones.

Have you gotten your eyes checked lately?

On Thursday, April 13th, the Alliance Center for Independence will host free vision screenings conducted by the Student Sight Savers program from the New Jersey Medical School at Rutgers.

Light refreshments will be provided.

ABOUT NJMS STUDENT SIGHT SAVERS

• What we do: We provide retinal screenings for visually threatening diseases in the community at local health fairs, conventions, etc.
• What we can detect: We are able to detect early signs of pathology including, but not limited to: glaucoma, cataracts, retinal changed associated with diabetes. We also take measurements of visual acuity, intraocular pressure, and refraction to assess general visual parameters.

General guidelines on how to maintain optimal visual health:

1. WEAR SUNGLASSES: According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, sunglasses should be worn at all times when outdoors especially during the summer, at the beach, when playing winter sports at high altitudes, and any medications that can cause light sensitivity.
2. NUTRITION: high levels of cholesterol and blood pressure can result in damage to blood vessels in the eye resulting in the development of possible conditions such as glaucoma, macular edema that can compromise vision.

A healthy lifestyle starts NOW! Come join us to hear the tips and tricks you need to customize your exercise and nutrition.

Disability Health & Wellness Program Assistant, Gianna Marchesi, will be coming to ACI for a presentation on health and fitness for people with disabilities.

Topics will include:

• Fitness tips
• Healthy living as a whole
• Review healthy foods (organic vs. non-organic)
• Examples of exercises based on level of ability (with audience participation)
• Free healthy snacks and guides for all participants!

Are you protected from the sun? ACI has partnered with St. Peter's University Hospital's Community Mobile Health Services to offer free sun damage screenings! Staff from St. Peter's will be on hand to give out information and advise on how to protect your skin during the summer months.

The DermaScan is an instrument that magnifies the image of your face using a black light. The black light will highlight the harmful effects of overexposure (sun damage) from the sun’s UV rays. The registered nurse will alert you to the areas of the face that are oily, dry or sun damaged. We will discuss and provide literature on the sun’s damaging rays and the importance of wearing sun screen. This is not a skin cancer screening.

ACI's Men's Peer Support Group will be sponsoring a presentation on Men's Health, presented by MaryAnn Kokidis and Stephanie Rodriquez, Health Educators at Amerigroup Health Insurance. The workshop will cover: the importance of nutrition and physical activity as well as other behaviors that can improve health and reduce the risk of chronic disease and different forms of cancer (smoking cessation, colorectal screening, prostate screening, and annual well visits).

COST: $3.00

The newest growing trend among adults! Coloring books are said to help de-stress and unwind and are slowly taking off outside of Europe, and making its way here! Stores cannot keep these coloring books on their shelves!

Experts claim that coloring can lower anxiety, stabilize mood, increase attention span and serve as a sleep aid…so come unwind and color with us!

Register by filling out the form below.

Come out and learn about some ways to help handle and reduce stress! There will be a presentation given by Domanique Davison, a student a Rutgers University majoring in  Exercise Science/Applied Kinesiology. Topics will include: stress management and positive thinking.

Please RSVP by filling out the form below.

Beverly Burns, M.Ed., Director of Prevention Education at Advancing Opportunities will be presenting Roads to Recovery, a seminar on substance abuse and prevention. She will also be teaching a relaxation technique called Laughter Yoga, a Body-Mind Therapy developed by a physician in Mumbai, India. Come learn and laugh with us on April 22nd from 10:30 AM to 12:00 PM at the ACI office.

Register by filling out the form below.