Rather than evacuate, he stayed put as a point of contact for clients during the storm and in the aftermath served as a liaison between clients and local emergency services, providing meals and emotional support along the way. But it was when Hurricane Irma made landfall in Key West in September 2017 that Stephen outdid himself. Through the Patient Care and Prevention Planning Group, he works with the state of Florida to improve the delivery of services to clients. He also helped launch the initiative “Food Matters,” which teaches clients how to prepare nutritious, cost-effective meals. clients, rendering it a more inclusive and representative collective. In this role, he was instrumental in rewriting the committee’s bylaws to welcome the participation of all A.H. of Monroe County (formerly AIDS Help), which specializes in testing, linkage to care and housing for people living with HIV.
A long-term survivor, Stephen is the chairman of the consumer advisory committee of A.H.
