Ellsworth, HEAL team up for World AIDS Day proclamation

ELLSWORTH, Maine (WABI) - December 1st is World AIDS Day. The City of Ellsworth marked the occasion with a proclamation Thursday morning.

Members of Health Equity Alliance, or HEAL, were on hand for the reading.

The organization says World AIDS Day is about compassion, history, and conversation.

“People can go year round without even hearing about the people in our community living with HIV and AIDS and it can contribute to stigma and people not having the education and the tools to really make positive, impactful change. And so that’s why things like this are so important,” said Jill Henderson, HEAL communications and development manager.

“That’s the idea, talking about it, being more comfortable with it, understanding the science behind it. Stigma is the biggest barrier to understanding the reality of these things,” said Jon Stein, Ellsworth city councilor.

HEAL hosted another gathering Thursday night at its Bangor office on Hancock Street. It was a family-friendly event with food, a raffle, and a gallery aimed at further educating the public.

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