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Tibotec Therapeutics Debuts Innovative Web Portal for HIV/AIDS Front-Line Service Providers Free, Centralized Resource Designed to Help Overcome Some Barriers to Supportive Care
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Media Contact: Pamela Van Houten
Office: (609) 730-7902
Mobile: (908) 295-7367
[Titusville, NJ, May 27, 2010] - Tibotec Therapeutics, a division of Centocor Ortho Biotech Products, L.P., today announced the launch of the HIV Case Manager Portal (the Portal), a free, easy-to-use online resource at http://www.HIVCaseManager.com designed to help HIV/AIDS front-line service providers meet their daily client education and professional needs. The Portal was unveiled today in Denver, CO at the 22nd National Conference on Social Work and HIV/AIDS, the premier conference for service providers working with people living with HIV in the U.S.
Case managers, treatment educators, adherence specialists and other front-line service providers play a vital role in linking people living with HIV to the treatment and resources they need to successfully access and stay in care. These service providers often function as their clients' primary source for understanding and information on HIV disease, treatment and available supportive services. However, these front-line service providers often face barriers to delivering the best possible care to their clients.
"The everyday work of today's HIV service providers can be quite challenging," said Adele Webb, Ph.D., RN, executive director of the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care, a collaborator on the Portal. "Case managers, social workers and nurses must address an incredible range of needs to help their diverse client base navigate a complicated HIV care system. Services like the HIV Case Manager Portal are a welcome resource to streamline this process and will save time that these providers can dedicate to their clients."
The Portal is the result of a year-long effort by Tibotec Therapeutics to identify and address some of the major obstacles to successful case management. Consultations and focus groups with service providers from a wide spectrum of HIV/AIDS organizations revealed that they frequently lack easily accessible and appropriate tools and resources needed to effectively serve their clients. A source for up-to-date, relevant information on HIV disease and other services, the Portal aims to help address these unmet needs by providing front-line service providers with a centralized resource to help them educate their clients and further their own professional development.
The Portal includes several important, useful tools to facilitate conversations about HIV disease, treatment and care between service providers and their clients. Service providers can access an
expansive and growing content library of easy-to-read fact sheets, available in both English and Spanish, to share with their clients that address a wide array of topics on HIV disease, treatment, prevention and healthy living. Through the Portal's unique "Brochure Builder" feature, these fact sheets can be combined and customized for clients based on their individual needs and characteristics.
The Portal also contains helpful resources to support the everyday professional and educational needs of front-line service providers. To enhance their professional development, the Portal's "CEU Credit Tracker" helps users record their completed continuing education credits and identify new educational opportunities. For service providers new to the HIV/AIDS field, the Portal offers an introductory "HIV/AIDS 101 Training Module" designed to provide a basic overview of HIV disease, treatment and care. Users can opt-in to locate other case managers and service providers across the U.S. to better serve a mobile client population and ease clients' transitions to new locations and care providers. Quick links to social services and treatment assistance resources help service providers address the specific needs of HIV/AIDS patients with limited means. Additionally, the Portal offers links to more than 200 national, state and city HIV/AIDS organizations and resources to simplify online navigation.
"We at Tibotec Therapeutics are very pleased to support the important work of case managers and other front-line service providers through resources like the HIV Case Manager Portal," said Glenn Mattes, President of Tibotec Therapeutics. "We hope the Portal serves as an innovative first step in the development of a forum for service providers from a wide spectrum of locations, backgrounds and organizations to gather and access information to help improve the health of their clients."
Pilot tested at the United States Conference on AIDS (USCA), HIV service providers shared valuable feedback on the overall appearance, content and utility of the Portal and its resources. In a survey of 96 service providers, 83 percent said they would be very likely or likely to use the site, 75 percent said the content was very good or excellent, and 81 percent said they were very likely or likely to share its content with their clients. To ensure that this effort continues to grow and evolve to meet the diverse and ever-changing needs of the front-line service provider community, Tibotec Therapeutics has collaborated with the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care (ANAC), HealthHIV and the National Alliance of State & Territorial AIDS Directors (NASTAD).
To register and learn more about the HIV Case Manager Portal and its resources, please visit http://www.HIVCaseManager.com.
About Tibotec Therapeutics
Tibotec Therapeutics, a division of Centocor Ortho Biotech Products, L.P., headquartered in Titusville, N.J., is dedicated to delivering innovative virology therapeutics that help health care professionals address serious unmet needs in people living with HIV. For more information, visit www.tibotectherapeutics.com.
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