Oklahoma Aids Care Fund Inc

THE OKLAHOMA AIDS CARE FUND IS A FUNDRAISING AND ADVOCACY ORGANIZATION DEDICATED TO PROVIDING FINANCIAL SUPPORT AND RESOURCES TO HIV/AIDS SERVICE PROVIDERS IN THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA. OUR GOAL IS TO REDUCE NEW INFECTIONS, STIGMA, AND HEALTH DISPARITIES WHILE INCREASING ACCESS TO CARE AND COLLABORATION OF SERVICES.

OACF SUPPORTS ITS HIV SERVICE PARTNERS BY ENSURING THEY HAVE THE RESOURCES AND TOOLS NEEDED TO REACH THEIR GOALS. DURING THE YEAR GRANTS TOTALING $100,000 WERE AWARDED TO 10 TAX EXEMPT ORGANIZATIONS FOR EDUCATION AND PREVENTION PROGRAMS DIRECTED TOWARD HIV/AIDS AND FOR DIRECT SERVICES FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH HIV/AIDS. ALSO, GRANTS TOTALING $6,181 WERE EXPENDED TO PAY FOR RENT, UTILITIES, MEDICAL AND OTHER EMERGENCY EXPENSES FOR INDIVIDUALS AND FAMILIES WITH HIV/AIDS.AS ADVOCATES WE WORK TO EDUCATE OUR ELECTED OFFICIALS ON THE STRUGGLES PEOPLE LIVING WITH HIV AND AIDS FACE AND WORK TOWARD STRENGTHENING THEIR RIGHTS. WE STRIVE TO ENSURE POSITIVE POLICY CHANGES AND LEGISLATION WHILE IMPROVING HEALTH OUTCOMES AND ACCESS TO CARE.OACF IS CURRENTLY LEADING THE EFFORT TO UPDATE THE STATEWIDE HIV PREVENTION AND CARE PLAN TO SET OUTCOME MEASUREMENT GOALS THAT WILL EXCEED NATIONAL STANDARDS OF 90% OF THOSE LIVING WITH HIV ARE DIAGNOSED, 90% OF THOSE DIAGNOSED ARE IN TREATMENT, AND 90% OF THOSE IN TREATMENT HAVE REACHED VIRAL SUPPRESSION AND THEREFORE NO LONGER ABLE TO TRANSMIT THE DISEASE.OKLAHOMA HAS EXPERIENCED AN HIV EPIDEMIC FOR MORE THAN 30 YEARS, YET WE ARE STILL ONE OF TEN SOUTHERN STATES WITH THE HIGHEST RATES OF NEW HIV DIAGNOSIS. IN 2016, THE LATEST YEAR FOR WHICH DATA IS AVAILABLE, OKLAHOMA HAD 295 NEWLY DIAGNOSED CASES OF HIV. OF THOSE, 25.1% WERE IDENTIFIED AS LATE TESTERS, MEANING THEY RECEIVED AN AIDS DIAGNOSIS WITHIN THREE MONTHS OF THE INITIAL DIAGNOSIS. BY AGE, 20-29 YEAR OLDS HAD THE HIGHEST DIAGNOSIS RATE IN THE STATE AT 21.6 CASES PER 100,000 PEOPLE. BOTH OF THESE STATISTICS HIGHLIGHT THE NEED FOR INCREASED AND APPROPRIATE HIV EDUCATION IN SCHOOLS AND FOR THE GENERAL PUBLIC. IN ADDITION, NEARLY 100 HIV+ INDIVIDUALS PASSED AWAY. TEN OF THESE DEATHS OCCURRED WITHIN ONE YEAR OF THEIR HIV DIAGNOSIS. OF THE 5,756 INDIVIDUALS LIVING WITH HIV IN OKLAHOMA, 47% ARE UNDER THE AGE OF 30.