READING, Pa. – At The Inn at Centre Park in Reading, community members gathered Monday night for World AIDS Day and to mark 40 years of Co-County Wellness Services. 

The nonprofit said the evening was about honoring lives lost to HIV and highlighting ongoing work in public health. 

“Today is the 37th World AIDS Day, where we stop and commemorate people who have died of HIV globally. Locally, we are remembering the 575 people in Berks County who have passed away from the disease,” Co-County Wellness Services Executive Director Carolyn Bazik said. 

Bazik said treatment has improved over the last four decades, but access is still a challenge. 

“There’s a lot of funding cuts going on right now in public health, and as a result, it’s making it more difficult for people to get their treatments and to get their medications,” she said. 

Co-County Wellness now runs a free clinic that offers HIV and STI testing, case management and education services. The organization also leads prevention and outreach programs, including teen pregnancy prevention work in Berks County. 

Inside the Inn at Centre Park, a memorial table held candles and names of people lost to HIV and AIDS — a visual reminder, organizers said, of stories that did not get the ending they deserved. 

In downtown Reading, City Hall was lit red in recognition of World AIDS Day and the group’s anniversary. 

“In recognition of World AIDS Day, Mayor [Eddie] Moran has lit up city hall red, also in recognition of Co-County Wellness’s 40 years of service here in Berks County and within the city of Reading,” Noel Acosta III, the city’s communications coordinator, said. 

Board President Rick Stoudt said the organization is focused on education and outreach as it looks to the next generation. 

“We’re out in high schools, we’re out in some clubs — places where we know that the spread could occur — providing education,” Stoudt said. 

Co-County Wellness officials said their mission now is to honor those lost, support people living with HIV, and continue expanding public health services in the community.