Monday, September 16, 2013 Last updated: Monday September 16, 2013, 2:53 PM

With Obamacares most critical stage set to launch in two weeks, efforts are intensifying across North Jersey to prepare thousands of uninsured people to enroll in new coverage plans, even as many remain ignorant about the most extensive government-sponsored health care initiative in nearly 50 years.

MITSU YASUKAWA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Sheila Thorne, a health care consultant, explaining the Affordable Care Act to employees at Bergen Community College in Paramus.

Volunteers went door-to-door in Moonachie trailer parks one recent sunny weekend in a campaign to tell the uninsured about the new options available Oct. 1.

What it means for you

Upcoming events where people in North Jersey can learn about the Affordable Care Act:

Tuesday, Paramus: AARP will distribute information at Bergen Countys Annual Senior Picnic, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Van Saun County Park.

Thursday, Paterson: Town Hall meeting, 6 to 9 p.m. Speakers: Sheila L. Thorne, National Partnership for Action to End Health Disparities, Region 11 Health Equity Council, and Carolyn Daniels, executive director, New Jersey Department of Health Office of Minority and Multicultural Health. City Council Chambers, 155 Market St., third floor. Free, but registration required: divvy@patersonnj.gov

Sept. 28, Hackensack: "Health Insurance 2013: What You Need to Know about the Affordable Care Act," presented by the YWCA Bergen County at Logan Family Life Center at Mount Olive Baptist Church, 274 Central Ave. Lunch and panel discussion, noon to 1 p.m.; Affordable Care Act workshops, 1 to 4 p.m. Free. Reserve seats at http://www.stayclassy.org/health2013 or call Wendy Worden at 201-881-1720 for more information, including VIP breakfast with Sherri Shepherd.

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Health care push in full swing in New Jersey