Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1998. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
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AIDS TREATMENT NEWS Issue #309, December 18, 1998
John S. James
How did we decide which to include here? We started with our list from previous years, and also looked at lists kept by some buyers' clubs, and at community consensus or recommendations. Most of those below have been involved with AIDS (or sometimes other immune illnesses) for years. Some organizations which might qualify were not listed because we could not reach anyone by press time. If you believe we have omitted a group which should have been included, please let us know.
We did not include cannabis buyers' clubs here, as we have listed them separately (AIDS TREATMENT NEWS #296, June 5, 1998).
Notes: (1) All or almost all of the following organizations will provide a product and price list on request. Most will accept cash, check, money order, or credit cards, and can provide fast delivery options--but policies differ, so ask for details. The list below indicates which will accept mail order and international orders. (2) Many focus on low prices, and several have lowered their prices recently. (3) Some buyers' clubs require membership (and keep a release form on file); some offer optional membership for product discounts and other benefits; others do not have membership at all. (4) The list below is alphabetical by state, then by city within the state, and then by name of the organization when there are more than one in the same city. (5) For donors, many of the 501(c)(3) buyers' clubs are part of larger AIDS organizations; in these cases, contributors usually can designate a donation to the buyers' club. Call for specific instructions on making a donation. (6) Office hours can change; call to confirm before visiting.
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* Being Alive Buyers' Club (a program of AIDS Project Arizona), 602-265-2437, 602-265-9951 fax, bealive@apaz.org, http://www.apaz.org, 111 E. Camelback Rd., Phoenix, AZ 85012. Hours 8:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday., 8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Friday.
Mail order accepted, including international. Newsletter. Library. Referrals. Advocacy. Financial-need discounts to local residents. Membership $10 per year. 501(c)(3). Part of larger early intervention program, Being Alive. Specializes in products for gastrointestinal problems. Collaborates on alternative research with the Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine. Prices set at cost plus 15%.
* Travis Wright Memorial Buyers' Club (a program of the Southern Arizona AIDS Foundation), 520-322-6226, 520-327-9557 fax, http://www.saaf.org/BChome.htm, 151 S. Tucson Blvd., Suite 211, Tucson, AZ 85716. Call for office hours.
Mail order accepted; no international, COD or next day service. VISA/MC/AMEX accepted. Referrals. Advocacy. Financial-need discounts. Services open to general public in addition to those living with HIV/AIDS. Works with separate Wellness Program, which began with CARE Act funding and is seeking grants to extend complementary therapy services, including naturopathic medicine, massage, and acupuncture. Donations accepted for all services.
* Healing Alternatives Foundation, 415-626-4053 office, 415- 626-0451 fax, 800-219-2233 (phone orders by credit card only), info@healingalternatives.org, http://www.healingalternatives.org, 505 Castro St., San Francisco, CA 94114-2511. Hours 12 noon - 6:00 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.
Mail-order accepted, including international. Offers vitamins, nutritional supplements, and alternative treatments to the immunocompromised community. Member-to-member support structure, motivating one another to get involved in one's treatment regimen. Large and well-organized treatment information library. Referrals. Advocacy. Annual membership $10 to $30 (sliding scale). 501(c)(3).
* CFIDS and Fibromyalgia Health Resource, 800-366-6056, 805- 965-0042 fax, health@silcom.com, http://www.healthresource.com, 1187 Coast Village Rd. #1-280, Santa Barbara, CA 93108.
Mail order only. Two newsletters. Special group discounts. Referrals to support groups, but not medical referrals. Focus on immune modulators. Not tax exempt; parent company is Pro Health, Inc.
* LifeLink, 805-473-1389, 888-433-5266 toll free, 805-473- 2803 fax, lifelink@west.net, http://www.lifelinknet.com, 750 Farroll Rd. Suite H, Grover Beach, CA 93433.
Mail order only, some international.
* Embrace Life, 800-448-1170 or 831-464-7444, 831-476-7717 fax, embrace@bnbcomp.net, 2070-C Wharf Road, Capitola, CA 95010.
Mail order accepted, including international. Drop-in office open but call first to confirm. Vitamin and supplement information available.
* Denver Buyers' Club (PWA Coalition Colorado), 303-329-9379, 303-329-9381 fax, pwacolo@aol.com, P.O. Box 300339, Denver, CO 80203.
Office visits by appointment only. Mail order available, including international. VISA/MC. Newsletter RESOLUTE, the major service of the PWA Coalition, is also published in Spanish. Small library. Advocacy. Nutritional and treatment information available. Products offered at cost plus 10%, no discounts. 501(c)(3).
* Carl Vogel Center, 202-638-0750, 202-638-0749 fax, 1012 14th St. NW, Suite 707, Washington, D.C. 20005. Hours 12 noon - 6 p.m. Monday through Friday (and until 9:00 p.m. on Monday and Wednesday).
Mail order accepted, U.S. only. Referrals. Membership $25, includes a free bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) test, and discounts for members. 501(c)(3). Nutritional counseling and support by a registered dietitian. Complementary therapy program provides acupuncture, therapeutic massage, and Chinese herbal formulas to uninsured or underinsured individuals in the District of Columbia. HIV/AIDS treatment resource library. Educational workshops, symposia, and newsletter.
* AIDS Manasota, 941-954-6011, 941-951-1721 fax, amisrq@aol.com, 2080 Ringling Blvd. #103, Sarasota, FL 34237- 7030. Hours 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. Friday.
Mail order accepted, including international, but mail order must be pre-paid. Newsletter. Library. Referrals. Advocacy. No special discounts; all product is cost plus 10% (plus $6.50 for postage and handling). 501(c)(3). Peer counseling. Massage therapy. Healthy PWA program. Pet support service. Emergency housing assistance. Positively Woman to Woman support group. HIV rap group. Annual "Until There Is a Cure" conference. Biggest fundraiser is annual two-car Lexus raffle.
* Wholesale Health, 888-666-6743 toll-free, 503-236-9271 fax, wholesalehealth@msn.com, http://www.wholesalehealth.com, P.O. Box 42461, Portland, OR 97242
Mail order including international.
* AIDS Treatment Initiatives, 404-874-4845, 404-874-9320 fax, 888-874-4845, atiaids@mindspring.com, 828 W Peachtree St. NW, Suite 210, Atlanta GA 30308. Hours 12 noon - 7:00 p.m. Monday through Thursday.
Mail order accepted. Referrals. Advocacy. Membership $25 per year. 501(c)(3). Some items require a prescription. Library: Works closely with AIDS Survival Project, a separate organization housed in the same building, which has an extensive library and a treatment resource specialist. Wellness Center includes complementary therapies available on a sliding-scale fee basis.
* Boston Buyers' Club, 800-435-5586 or 617-266-2223, 617-450- 9412 fax, http://www.bgladco.com/bbc. Located at the Boston Living Center, 29 Stanhope St., Boston, MA 02116. Open weekdays 12 noon - 6:00 p.m. (Friday to 5:00 p.m.)
Mail order accepted, including international. Newsletter. 501(c)(3). Treatment Information Network provides advocacy, referral, and treatment information services for people with HIV/AIDS. Offers an inventory of over 100 different complementary therapies and nutritional supplements priced just over wholesale cost; profits go into compassionate-use fund to provide free-of-charge supplements to people with HIV/AIDS.
* DAAIR, 212-725-6994, 888-951-LIFE (outside New York State), 212-689-6471 fax, info@daair.org, http://www.daair.org, 31 E. 30th Street, Suite 2A, New York, NY 10016. Hours for ordering by phone Tuesday through Saturday 10:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m., or voicemail any time; hours for walk-in 3:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. Wednesday and Friday, and 2:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. Saturday.
Mail order accepted, including international. Financial-need discounts. Membership on sliding scale $5 to $25. Anyone can request free Membership Outreach Pack, which includes 170 pages of specific treatment information including vitamins, nutrition, supplementation, detoxification, and protocols for symptom management (e.g. neuropathy, diarrhea, etc.); additional information on the Web. Call for introductory meetings schedule. Treatment advocacy and education forums.
* PWA Health Group, 212-255-0520, 212-255-2080 fax, http://www.aidsinfonyc.org/pwahg/index.html, 150 West 26th Street, #201, New York, NY 10001. Hours 10 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Orders accepted in English and Spanish. Mail order accepted, including international. Newsletter NOTES FROM THE UNDERGROUND, Spanish edition NOTAS DE LA CLANDESTINIDAD, and many information packets. Referrals. Extensive advocacy for access to treatments, especially for opportunistic infections. 30% discount for persons with AIDS on Medicaid, Medicare, or in need. Treatment education program, Women's Treatment Project support groups, discussion groups, trainings, programs in jails, customized training workshops with agencies.
* Global Vitamins, 613-284-0076, 800-996-8466 toll-free from Canada, 613-283-9306 fax, http://www.globalvitamins.com, Hershey Drive, Smiths Falls, ON K7A 5C7. Call for office hours.
Mail order accepted, including international. Registered nutritional consultant on staff and available for counseling.
* Supplements Plus, 416-977-3088, 800-387-4761 toll-free, 416-977-3099 fax, remedies@web.net, 317 Adeline St. West #503, Toronto, ON M5V 1P9. Call for office hours.
Mail order accepted, including international. Library at three locations in Toronto; HIV, alternative therapy information. Financial-need discounts. Sponsors educational forums.
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Copyright 1998 by John S. James. Permission granted for noncommercial reproduction, provided that our address and phone number are included if more than short quotations are used. Distributed by AEGIS: http://www.aegis.com
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