Mental Health First Aid Certification Training

ACI staff participated in the Mental Health First Aid course. MHFA is a 8-hour training certification course which teaches participants a five-step action plan to assess a situation, select and implement interventions and secure appropriate care for the individual, the certification program introduces participants to risk factors and warning signs of mental health problems, builds understanding of their impact and overviews common treatments.   

“We are thrilled to bring Mental Health First Aid to our community,” said Joni Jones, owner of Koala Cares LLC. “This important educational effort goes a lot further than emergency intervention; it really helps people understand the shroud of fear and misjudgment facing individuals and families who experience mental illnesses and addiction. It will help rid this community of the associated stigma and move more and more people toward recovery.”

Disability Substance Abuse Training

Thank you Beverly Burns, Director of Prevention Education at Advancing Opportunities, for training ACI staff in co-occurring disabilities and substance abuse.

Take Control of Your Health

On May 8th, 12 individuals received certificates for completing Take Control of Your Health, a 6 session workshop on self-managing chronic health conditions and maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

The program was conducted by the Middlesex County Office of Health Services. Thank you to Viviana DeLosAngels and Marta Perez for facilitating this beneficial program.

"We all enjoyed the presentation of topics and interaction among the facilitators and participants. [The topics] were really thought provoking." - Madhusudan Butala, Workshop Participant

Men's Health Workshop

ACI's Men's Peer Group hosted a workshop on Men's Health on Thursday, May 15th. Stephanie Rodriquez, Health Educator from Amerigroup was the presenter. Her entertaining and informative presentation focused on ways to reduce the risk of heart disease, establishing a healthy diet, and conducting a self exam for testicular cancer. Thank you to Stephanie and Amerigroup!

Blood Pressure and Blood Sugar Screenings

ACI hosted blood pressure and blood sugar screenings conducted by Saint Peter's University Hospital's Community Mobile Health Services. 12 individuals participated in the event. Thank you to Tara Gunthner and her staff for conducting the screenings.

Walk & Roll for National Public Health Week

For the past 3 years, ACI has been a proud partner with the American Public Health Association (APHA) for National Public Health Week. On April 8th, ACI sponsored a Walk & Roll to promote exercise. The group walked through the town of Fords while carrying signs to bring awareness to National Public Health Week. Onlookers’ showed their support by beeping their horns and cheering. Argenys Caba, who organized the event, said "I am pleased with the turn out and the opportunity to walk together on this beautiful day."

Adaptive Yoga at the ARC of Union

On February 27th, 20 members (and staff) of the NJ Self Advocacy Project participated in an adaptive yoga class, taught by Carole and Luke, LVCY Certified Yoga Instructors. Everyone had a great time while relieving stress. Thank you to ARC of Union and to Ashley Ritchey of the NJ Self Advocacy Projecting for hosting.

"Luke and I had so much fun teaching yoga tonight...You were such a fun group!" - Carole Tonks, ACI Director