Middlesex County proclaims April 2025 Sexual Assault Awareness Month, marks Denim Day

The Middlesex County Board of Commissioners on its April 2025 meeting adopted a proclamation recognizing April 2025 as Sexual Assault Awareness Month and designated Wednesday, April 30, 2025, as Denim Day to raise awareness and support survivors.

The proclamation, read by Director Ronald G. Rios, called on residents to support prevention programs and listed county partners including the Middlesex County Office of Health Services’ Center for Empowerment and the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office. Rios said the observance “joins advocates and support service programs and urging all community members to help end [sexual] violence.”

Richard Ortiz, who introduced himself at the meeting as a nurse examiner and as director of patient care services at Hackensack Meridian Health, thanked county staff and partners for the recognition. Ortiz described his prior work in law enforcement and in forensic nursing and said the clinical role guided him back to supporting survivors after cases that prosecutors could not sustain on felony charges. “I retired after 20 years of police service,” Ortiz said, “but it was doing that work that brought me to a career in nursing.”

Ortiz told the commissioners about a recent case involving a 9-year-old who disclosed abuse during a sleepover. He said jury findings on forensic evidence and medical testimony led to a misdemeanor conviction for endangering the child rather than a felony verdict; he said that outcome motivated his work as a forensic nurse to support prosecution and survivor care. “Forensic nursing has provided the opportunity to keep servicing this patient population,” Ortiz said.

The proclamation text highlighted county anti-violence programs, collaboration with law enforcement and the prosecutor’s office, and urged culturally specific support for survivors. It also noted recognition of National Community College Month and an acknowledgement of South Amboy Police Chief Patricia Konecki as the first female police chief in Middlesex County.

County officials and advocates at the meeting encouraged residents to observe Denim Day and to engage with prevention and survivor services run by county partners. The proclamation does not create new funding or programs; it encourages awareness and continued collaboration among service providers and law enforcement.