The AIDS Memorial Quilt is returning to Burlington County for the first time in five years and it is receiving some new panels from Burlington County residents who lost loved ones to the disease.
The new panels and other sections of the quilt will be on display in honor of World AIDS Day at the Burlington County Library, 5 Pioneer Boulevard, Westampton, beginning Friday, December 1, through Wednesday, December 6. The new panels were created by the Burlington County Health Department and local Burlington County residents.
A special dedication ceremony will be held at the library on December 1, from 10 AM to noon. The ceremony will feature the unveiling and dedication of the new quilt panels and a discussion about HIV/AIDS featuring a health department nurse, who will share her experiences from the early days of AIDS, as well as a quilt contributors who will share stories of their loved ones.
Following the ceremony, the Burlington County Health Department will administer free HIV testing from 1 PM to 4 PM at the Health Department Offices, 15 Pioneer Boulevard, Westampton.
“On World AIDS Day, we memorialize those lost to AIDS-related illnesses, including the 632 AIDS deaths and 96 HIV deaths recorded in Burlington County,” said Dr. Herb Conaway, director of the Burlington County Health Department. “While we mourn those we lost, we also celebrate incredible advances in the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and care of people with HIV. While there is still no cure, it’s now possible for HIV patients to live long and healthy lives. We must remain vigilant and continue to work together to ensure essential HIV services -- including testing and high-quality treatment -- are accessible to everyone.”
The AIDS Memorial Quilt was first created in 1987 in San Francisco to memorialize loved ones who had died from the disease. Since then, the handmade tapestry has been displayed around the world and grown to include more than 50,000 panels with more than 110,000 names, making it the largest community arts project in the world.
Sections of the quilt were last displayed in the Burlington County Library in November 2018.
“It’s a great honor to welcome the AIDS Memorial Quilt back to Burlington County. Its return provides our residents opportunities to reflect on the lives taken by the disease and the decades of discrimination and stigma HIV/AIDS patients were forced to overcome,” said Burlington County Commissioner Dan O’Connell, the liaison to the Burlington County Health Department. “We must learn from that history and continue to educate residents about HIV testing and other services that are available from the Health Department and area health care providers. We must also continue to combat stigma, in all its forms, so that residents with HIV or other illnesses feel safe and comfortable accessing services.”
As of June 30, 2021, 1,630 Burlington County residents have been diagnosed with HIV since the data collection began in the early 1990s.
In addition to the free HIV testing on Dec. 1, the Burlington County Health Department offers walk-in HIV testing at 15 Pioneer Boulevard. Testing hours on Monday through Thursday from 8:30 PM to 3 PM, and Fridays from 8:30 AM to noon.
The department offers testing for other sexually-transmitted diseases every Tuesday, from 3 PM to 4:30 PM; Wednesdays from 5 PM to 6:30 PM; and Thursdays, 9 AM to 11:30 AM and 1 PM to 4 PM.
“We’ve come a long way in the fight against HIV/AIDS but we know there are numerous individuals living with HIV who do not know it,” Dr. Conaway said. “Testing is how people can learn their status and make informed health decisions, so I encourage all residents to take advantage of this service.”