Tulsa CARES is the largest and most comprehensive provider of care and social services for people living with HIV/AIDS in Oklahoma.
The agency serves low-income individuals living in northeastern Oklahoma with intensive case management that addresses barriers to treatment. Tailored wrap-around care includes health care navigation and prescription assistance, transportation, weekly meals and a farmer’s market, medical nutrition therapy, grocery pantry, individual and group therapy, and rent and utility assistance.
Though there is no cure for HIV at this time, proper medical adherence to treatment can result in viral suppression, allowing someone living with HIV to experience a normal life expectancy.
Additionally, new data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirms that viral suppression is key to reducing the rate of new infections.
With advances in treatment, HIV is now considered a manageable chronic health condition. However, proper adherence to treatment is key, and those who struggle with poverty, mental illness, and lack of social supports need specialized care.
Tulsa CARES provides a safe space and can address the unique needs of those who very often fall through the cracks.
In Oklahoma, more than 40 percent of new infections occur in those aged 30 and under, and marginalized communities continue to be stigmatized and disproportionately affected.
Medically accurate health education around sexuality and safer sex practices is critical to reducing the rate of new infections.
Research and data clearly show that when communities, families, and the public health arena embrace sound prevention policies and a compassionate approach, rates of HIV and sexually transmitted infections go down, and more people access testing and treatment.
This World AIDS Day, please join Tulsa CARES in remembrance and support of those affected by HIV/AIDS. This movement continues to need allies and advocates. To learn more about Tulsa CARES, please visit tulsacares.org.
