Clients need to take their medications with food, and they can shop here 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., weekly — versus every four weeks or every six weeks at other pantries. We carry Ensure and Boost protein drinks, along with meats, vegetables, beans and other foods, as well as free condoms and daily meds (Pre-exposure prophylaxis or PrEP) for partners and others who are HIV-negative but at risk of getting the infection and other sexually transmitted diseases. We make a few deliveries across the greater metro area. And if clients live beyond say Guthrie or Norman, we allow them to get a month’s supply of food. We’re open until 6 p.m. on Mondays and 1 p.m. on Saturdays and serve households statewide, including in the Panhandle and on the Texas border.
What’s your annual budget, and how are you funded?
$180,000, about half of which comes from fundraising. We receive annual grants from the national Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS organization, Oklahoma AIDS Care Fund and the Cresap Family Foundation, and sponsor three major events at the Farmer’s Market: a fashion show; masked, Truman Capote-like black-and-white party; and “Bar Wars,” where various restaurants compete in a cocktail contest. Smaller events include a costumed Santa Crawl in Midtown and Bricktown and a hangover brunch. Of every dollar raised, 82 cents goes directly to our cause. I’m the sole employee, and on any given day, we have five to 15 volunteers working here.
How pervasive is HIV today?
Some 4,469 Oklahomans die annually from HIV/AIDS, while 5,954 are living with the infections. That’s based on 2016 data from the Oklahoma AIDS Care Fund. Of the 295 newly diagnosed HIV cases that year, 26.1% were classified as late testers, with an AIDS diagnosis within three months of an HIV diagnosis. A huge problem for newly diagnosed, particularly uninsured people in the metro is that, because of a backlog in genome testing, many wait 60 to 90 days for lab work results to learn the specific strain of their infection and consequently how to treat it.
PERSONALLY SPEAKING
Position: Other Options Inc., executive director
Website: otheroptionsokc.org
