Boehringer Ingelheim and the Latino Commission on AIDS Launch MenteCuerpoHAART.com on National Latino AIDS Awareness Day

USA - English

• Latin America - español

RIDGEFIELD, Conn., Oct. 14 /PRNewswire/ -- Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and the Latino Commission on AIDS today announced the launch of the Mente, Cuerpo, HAART™ website (MenteCuerpoHAART.com), a Spanish-language online resource for Latinos living with HIV; health care providers; health educators. The site provides tools and helpful tips on how to maintain mental, physical and emotional well-being when dealing with the daily challenges of the disease.

To view the multimedia assets associated with this release, click:  http://multivu.prnewswire.com/mnr/boehringeringelheim/46494/

"We face many health challenges in our communities. It is imperative that we respond to the HIV/AIDS crisis, perpetuated by social stigma, poverty, immigration status, fears, access to care and language barriers," says Guillermo Chacon, President of the Latino Commission on AIDS.  "MenteCuerpoHAART.com is a culturally relevant informational resource designed to provide Latino patients and their families, caregivers and HIV/AIDS educators tools for dealing with HIV more effectively."  

MenteCuerpoHAART.com can help patients, families and caregivers:

• Understand issues that can affect HIV care and treatment success
• Manage their care and treatment by providing tips on making medical appointments more useful, communicating with healthcare providers, and adhering to prescribed HIV care and therapy
• Find resources on how to apply for prescription medication or participate in clinical trials

The features of MenteCuerpoHAART.com include:

• Useful facts and information about HIV
• Information on how to work with healthcare providers
• Downloadable educational information and HIV management resources, such as patient assistance programs
• Videos with experts on topics including mental and emotional well-being, physical health and therapy options
• Tips to live a healthier life, including the unique health concerns of men and women and treatment adherence advice
• Downloadable educational information that healthcare professionals and educators can  share with their patients, clients or the community

About MenteCuerpoHAART.com

For nearly 125 years, Boehringer Ingelheim has focused on discovering innovative ways -- through both science and disease education -- to improve the quality of life for patients and their families. MenteCuerpoHAART.com is a primary example of this dedication and was adapted from the original English version, MindBodyHAART.com, to provide culturally relevant information for Spanish-speaking patients, caregivers, physicians and community educators. The goal of the site is to help enhance HIV/AIDS care and treatment by fostering an open dialogue in the Latino community. The site's namesake encompasses the mental and emotional (Mente), physical (Cuerpo) and treatment (HAART) challenges that come with living with HIV.

Latinos and HIV

The HIV/AIDS epidemic is a significant problem in the Latino community, affecting more than 200,000 people in the U.S. and Puerto Rico.(1) According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Latinos comprise 15 percent of the U.S. population but account for an estimated 17 percent of new infections.(2)  The rate of new HIV infections among Latino men is more than double that of white men and the rate among Latina women is nearly four times that of white women.(2)

The Latino Commission on AIDS

The Latino Commission on AIDS is a nonprofit membership organization dedicated to response to the health challenge and the impact of HIV/AIDS in the Latino communities.

In response to the critical, unmet need for HIV prevention and care for Latinos, a coalition of Latino leaders founded the agency in 1990. The Commission realizes its mission by spearheading health advocacy for Latinos, promoting HIV education, developing model prevention programs for high-risk communities, and by building capacity in community organizations. Through its extensive network of member organizations and community leaders, the Commission works to mobilize an effective Latino community response to the health crisis created by HIV/AIDS. Since 1995, the organization has steadily expanded its services outside New York to meet the emerging needs of Latino communities in more than 40 States and Puerto Rico. The Commission is dedicated to resolving the HIV crisis in the Latino community, where social stigma, poverty, language barriers, immigration status fears, and access to care, deter testing and increase the infection rate.  Its public health model encompasses five core and complementary services provided to Latino communities: health education, HIV prevention, capacity building, advocacy, and health behavioral research. All services are offered in Spanish by a culturally diverse bilingual staff of health, education and business professionals.

Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc., based in Ridgefield, CT, is the largest U.S. subsidiary of Boehringer Ingelheim Corporation (Ridgefield, CT) and a member of the Boehringer Ingelheim group of companies.

The Boehringer Ingelheim group is one of the world’s 20 leading pharmaceutical companies. Headquartered in Ingelheim, Germany, it operates globally with 142 affiliates in 50 countries and approximately 41,500 employees. Since it was founded in 1885, the family-owned company has been committed to researching, developing, manufacturing and marketing novel products of high therapeutic value for human and veterinary medicine.

For more information, please visit http://us.boehringer-ingelheim.com and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/boehringerus.

(1) The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. (September 2009). "HIV/AIDS Policy Fact Sheet: Latinos and HIV/AIDS." Retrieved from http://www.kff.org/hivaids/upload/6007-07.pdf

(2) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention. (July 2010). "HIV in the United States." Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/resources/factsheets/us.htm

SOURCE Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc.