About

Hyacinth: Times Have Changed, but Our Mission Continues

When Hyacinth, New Jersey’s largest and first HIV service provider, opened its doors in 1985, our mission was to help people dying of HIV/AIDS do so with dignity and support. What a difference 35 years makes! Today, because of welcome advances in medical treatment and what scientists know about HIV, we’re helping our clients live full, healthy, and productive lives! Our mission is to help people live with HIV, stop the spread of the epidemic, and serve as a critical voice in the public debate surrounding AIDS in New Jersey.

Challenges still exist, and our work is far from over. Our staff of nearly 100 employees and more than 75 volunteers collaborate tirelessly to:

  • stop the spread of HIV, sexually transmitted infections, and Hepatitis C through education and prevention strategies;
  • provide wellness and behavioral health services;
  • meet the unique needs of the diverse HIV community (gay, bisexual, transgender, women, addicts) through safe and supportive programs;
  • address stigma, housing challenges, and barriers to care and treatment; and
  • educate lawmakers and lobby for corrective/progressive legislation on HIV-related issues.


While programs change because of funding and client needs, our goals remain the same: to help each individual living with HIV develop the mental and physical strength to live with the disease, manage their sexual health, live life safely with partners, and maintain a treatment regimen that works most successfully for them.

Eight Offices in Seven Cities

Jersey City * Paterson * Plainfield * Trenton * New Brunswick * Newark * West New York

A Message from Hyacinth’s Executive Director

Welcome to Hyacinth! Since 1985, our values and services have demonstrated commitment, leadership, service, and accountability to New Jersey’s HIV community. We stand up for what we believe – and our most fervent belief is that it is beyond time to end this epidemic. To do so, it will take all of us working together to fight the systems that contribute to the spread of HIV – racism, homophobia, transphobia, and poverty. We also need to improve health literacy among people living with HIV and find better solutions for common concerns, such as adequate housing.
On this website, you’ll find information about HIV/AIDS, STIs, harm reduction programs, and other Hyacinth services and volunteer opportunities. I hope you find the information you need and the right person to contact within the organization if you’d like to learn more!

Thanks for visiting our website! We look forward to partnering with you however we can.

Kathy O’Brien
Hyacinth Executive Director

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Hyacinth Board of Trustees

Linda J. Niedweske, Esq., President
Partner, Niedweske Barber, LLC

Jeri M. Thomas, Vice President
Vice President, Bristol Myers Squibb

Peter Jewell, Vice President Development
Retired

William Hagaman Jr., Treasurer
Managing Partner and Chief Executive Officer, Withum

James Hemm, Assistant Treasurer
Retired

Arjun Channi, Governance Chair
Associate Director of Regulatory Affairs, Sanofi Consumer Healthcare

Angela Amoatey, Member
Counselor, Irvington Public Schools

Brad Arlett, Member
Commercial IT Director, Relypsa, Inc.

Perry Halkitis, PhD, MS, MPH, Member
Dean, School of Public Health, Rutgers The State University of New Jersey

Michael McQueeny, Esq., Member
Cannabis Practice Group Chair/Counsel, Foley Hoag LLP

Bruce L. Moskovitz, M.D., Member
Retired

Robert Parkinson, Member
Chief Financial Officer, Turning Point Inc

Pascale Thomas, Member
Vice President, Enterprise Employee Benefits & Well-Being, The Walt Disney Company

Leadership

Kathy Ahearn-O'Brien,

Executive Director

Axel Torres Marrero,

Sr. Director of Public Policy & Prevention

Jodi Riccardi,

Sr. Director of Program Development

Johanne Rateau,

Director of Regional Services

Rocio Ruiz,

Director of Prevention

Rosalind Ford,

Director of Behavioral Health

Ann Marie Williams,

Director of Development

Alicia Parker,

Director of Harm Reduction

Hyacinth Offices and Services

  • New Brunswick (Middlesex County)

317 George St., Suite 203
New Brunswick, NJ 08901
732-246-0204

  • Community health worker support
  • Emergency financial assistance
  • Housing placement assistance
  • Incarcerated discharge planning
  • Psycho-social support services
  • Wellness Community at Hyacinth
  • Plainfield (Union County)

107 Park Ave., 3rd Floor
Plainfield, NJ 07060
908-755-0021

  • Community health worker support
  • Emergency financial assistance
  • HIV testing
  • Incarcerated discharge planning
  • MaleBox – Gay/bisexual men’s sexual health education & LGBTQ drop-in center
  • Non-medical case management
  • PrEP education
  • Psycho-social support services
  • Wellness Community at Hyacinth
  • Newark (Essex County)

194 Clinton Ave., Lower Level
Newark, NJ 07108
862-240-1461

  • Community health worker support
  • Client legal advocacy program
  • Housing placement assistance
  • Hyacinth Health & Wellness Clinic
  • In-office and mobile HIV testing
  • Incarcerated discharge planning
  • Individual and group substance abuse counseling
  • Medical/non-medical case management
  • PrEP education
  • Psycho-social programming
  • STI testing
  • THRIVE – Women’s and men’s sexual health education
  • Wellness Community at Hyacinth
  • Paterson (Passaic County)

100 Hamilton Plaza, 14th Floor
Paterson, NJ 07505
973-278-7636

  • Community health worker support
  • In-office and mobile HIV testing
  • Individual and group substance abuse counseling
  • Non-medical Case Management
  • Mobile syringe access program
  • PrEP counseling
  • Project PAUZE – Gay/bisexual men’s sexual health education & LGBTQ drop-in center
  • Psycho-social programming
  • Trenton (Mercer County)

849 W. State Street
Trenton, NJ 08618
609-396-8322

  • Community health worker support
  • Emergency financial assistance
  • Gay/bisexual men’s sexual health education
  • Harm reduction center
  • HIV testing
  • LGBTQ drop-in center and safe space
  • Non-medical case management
  • PrEP counseling
  • Psycho-social programming
  • STI testing
  • Wellness Community at Hyacinth
  • Jersey City (Hudson County)

48 Fairview Ave.
Jersey City, NJ 07304
201-432-1134

  • Client legal advocacy program
  • Community health worker support
  • Emergency financial assistance
  • Harm reduction & drop-in center
  • HIV testing
  • Non-medical case management
  • Psycho-social programming
  • Wellness Community at Hyacinth
  • Jersey City Living Out Loud (Hudson County)

653-655 Newark Ave., 2nd Floor
Jersey City, NJ 07306
201-706-3480

  • CLEAR – Choosing Life: Empowerment, Action, Results!
  • HIV prevention education
  • HIV testing
  • LGBTQ drop-In center and safe space
  • Personalized cognitive counseling
  • PrEP education
  • Project LOL – Gay/bisexual men’s sexual health education
  • Testing Together – Couples HIV counselling and testing
  • Hyacinth Statewide Services & Administrative Office

317 George St., Suite 203
New Brunswick, NJ 08901
732-246-0204

  • West New York (North Hudson County)

440 60th Street, Suite 201
West New York, NJ 07093
201-472-0985

  • Rapid Start Program
  • Community Health Worker Support
  • Community Case Management
  • Housing Placement Assistance

Employment Opportunities

Hyacinth is dedicated to hiring team members from the New Jersey communities we serve. For a complete list of employment opportunities and to submit an application, visit our career site.

Apply Now

The Hyacinth AIDS Foundation is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer and will consider all qualified applicants without regard to sex, race, creed or religion, color, national origin, age, ancestry, disability, or veteran, sexual orientation, or marital status.

For Human Resources related questions, please contact Kathy Ahearn-O’Brien, Executive Director, at kobrien@hyacinth.org or 732-246-0204.

 

Learn More About Hyacinth

We’re Social!
Want to keep up with Hyacinth? Follow us on your favorite social media channels!
Facebook: @hyacinthnj
Instagram: @hyacinthfoundation
Twitter: @hyacinthnj
LinkedIn: @hyacinthfoundation

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Questions about Hyacinth can be emailed to (info@hyacinth.org).
All media inquiries should be directed to Kathy Ahearn-O’Brien (kobrien@hyacinth.org) or Axel Torres Marrero (amarrero@hyacinth.org).