San Francisco: Healing Alternatives Opens Castro Office
Healing Alternatives Foundation, one of the nation's original AIDS buyers' clubs, opened a new retail location at the corner of 18th and Castro Street. The organization also maintains one of the largest AIDS libraries open to the public, and will gradually move the library materials to the new location as well.HAF plans to continue some retail sales at the old space until members learn about the move, then use that space for community events and programs. Some of the older library publications may stay there as well. (The phone number at the old space, 1748 Market St., is 415-626-2316.)
The public is invited to a grand opening celebration set for Saturday, May 30, 2-5 p.m., at the new location, 505 Castro Street (in the Bank of America building), on the second floor (wheelchair accessible by elevator). However, this office is already open for business, 10 a.m. - 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday; anyone interested is invited to drop in.
Healing Alternatives has a vitamin/supplement program available to anyone with financial difficulties, and it recycles medicines to almost every continent. It can serve as a safety net for persons on vacation or out of money.
Membership is open to all; you do not have to be HIV-positive. For more information, call Healing Alternatives at the Castro Street location, 415-626-4053, fax 626-0451, email info@healingalternatives.org.
Comment
AIDS buyers' clubs have been changing for the last several years. Their business volume has been squeezed between low-cost health food products by mail order, on one hand, and better official systems for access to new medicinal drugs on the other. But the clubs have value to the community which is more than economic:
Occasionally they provide lifesaving access for persons who otherwise would fall through the cracks (as recently with the drug NTZ).
Buyers' clubs offer services (like the library in San Francisco) and companionship which health-food stores or catalogs usually do not.
It is important for many reasons that these non-profit organizations, controlled by the community they serve, have a working knowledge of this business, including how to obtain potential treatments internationally.
Buyers' clubs offer unique opportunities to work together with other community projects--opportunities enhanced by the new HAF site in a convenient and visible location.
Because of the new business environment, and the growing shortfall of donations to AIDS groups, HAF recently reorganized its operations to be more efficient. For background, see "Major Changes Underway at Healing Alternatives Foundation," by Bruce Mirken, San Francisco Bay Times April 16, 1998.
