Oklahoma AIDS Care Fund awards $320,500 in grants for HIV/AIDS services

Oklahoma City—The Oklahoma AIDS Care Fund Board of Directors recently approved $320,500 in grants to 13 nonprofit organizations providing HIV/AIDS prevention, education, testing, and social services in the state of Oklahoma.

Since its inception in 1991, the Oklahoma AIDS Care Fund has awarded more than $12 million for HIV/AIDS education and prevention program across Oklahoma.  One-hundred percent of the proceeds of the Oklahoma AIDS Care Fund's annual gala, Red Tie Night, make this possible.   

The funded projects all focus on the goals of the National HIV/AIDS Strategy as they apply to the needs of individuals living in Oklahoma. The projects strive to either reduce new infections, increase access to care, improve health outcomes for those living with HIV, reduce HIV-related Health Disparities and Health inequities, or create a coordinated system of support for those living with HIV/AIDS.
 
The following grants were awarded:

AIDS Support Program – to support utility costs at the Winds House and Winds Family House residences for tenants who are HIV-infected.
 
Be the Change – to support the HIV Support Network program and provide medical and non-medical transportation, moving assistance, home and lawn care, along with social and leisure activities for those living with HIV.
 
Children's Hospital Foundation – to support a dedicated nurse practitioner to assist families raising children who are HIV-infected.
 
Expressions Community Center – to support the facility and maintenance costs in order to continue to provide a safe place for community events, support groups and HIV-related services and outreach programs.
 
Guiding Right, Inc. – to support HIV counseling, testing and referral services in the Tulsa Area.
 
Heartline – to support the crisis intervention, suicide prevention and HIV service navigation calls to 2-1-1.
 
H.O.P.E. – to support the HIV education, testing and outreach program in rural Oklahoma.
 
Latino Community Development Agency – to support the Breaking the Silence Program that provides culturally sensitive counseling, testing and referrals to help reduce HIV infection and transmission in the Latino community.
 
Legal Aid Services Oklahoma – to provide free legal services in civil matters to low-income Oklahomans living with HIV/AIDS including assistance with housing issues, income maintenance problems, consumer problems, employment issues, family law issues, and end-of-life planning.
 
MAMA Knows – to support counseling, testing, referral services, education and prevention to the southcentral region of Oklahoma.
 
Oklahoma AIDS Care Fund – to support the emergency assistance program, an educational outreach and advocacy program, as well as test kits for the Oklahoma State Department of Health's free testing program.  The emergency assistance program is for case managers to access on behalf of their clients with no other means to pay for medical, housing, utilities or prescriptions.
 
Other Options – to purchase food and nutritional supplements for distribution in the food pantry for over 1,600 households.
 
Planned Parenthood of Central Oklahoma – to support the Get Real program to bring individuals and groups information skills, motivation and means to reduce the transmission of HIV.
 
RAIN Oklahoma – to support the case management supervisor of the Ryan White Part B program who oversees the case managers and services to over 1,000 HIV/AIDS clients throughout Oklahoma.
 
To learn more about Oklahoma AIDS Care Fund and their annual fundraising gala, Red Tie Night, that raised funding to support these grants, please visit www.okaidscarefund.com.

The Gayly - 6/27/2016 @ 4:34 p.m. CDT