United Way of Broward County Commission on Substance Abuse and the 2016 United States Conference on AIDS Host Committee will host a special and informative evening as a prelude to the United States Conference on AIDS (USCA) that will be taking place in Broward County.

The public is invited to take part in the educational evening and discuss important drug truths and how they relate to women. Women made up 19% of new HIV diagnoses in the United States in 2014. Of these, 87% were attributed to heterosexual sex, and 13% were attributed to injection drug use (IDU).

The evening will feature a cocktail reception, panel discussion and screening of the 1998 HBO Film “Gia,” starring Angelina Jolie. The film is the story about the life of Gia Carangi, a top fashion model from the late 1970s, who had a meteoric rise to the forefront of the modeling industry and then an untimely death from AIDS at age 26.

The panel discussion will lead guests through a dialogue on HIV/AIDS, substance abuse and the impact they have on women. Panelists will include Dr. David Fawcett, a local substance abuse expert; Maite Soria, business development coordinator for Fort Lauderdale Hospital and Atlantic Shores Hospital; and Dr. Rosalind Osgood, Broward County School Board Chair and the CEO of the Mount Olive Development Corporation. All proceeds from ticket sales will be donated to Broward County HIV/AIDS Providers. Tickets are $50 (tax-deductible) and can be purchased online at DrugFreeBroward.org. For more information please call 954-453-3738.

For more information, click on the event link.