Alere seeks u.s. artists to help make positive (+) more positive
Chicago--(business wire)--alere inc. (nyse: alr) will launch its make (+) more positive campaign at the united states conference on aids at the sheraton chicago hotel & towers on november 10-13. make (+) more positive is designed to improve hiv/aids awareness and demonstrate the strength and optimism of the hiv-positive community. at the conference, attendees from all parts of the hiv/aids community, from healthcare professionals and public health workers to patient advocates and people diagnosed with hiv/aids, will come together to turn the international positive (+) symbol into works of art. peter bullock, an artist who will be attending the conference, lost his younger brother to aids in 1997. bullock’s work mixes everyday objects like lottery tickets and candy wrappers with more traditional media like paint, and has been featured in several galleries in chicago and santa fe. he is planning to showcase an interpretation of make (+) more positive at the conference that is made from old, colored postage stamps, and this piece, along with the works of other attendees, will be shared online at www.morepositive.com and facebook.com/morepositive. “we want to challenge every participant here to turn their vision into something beautiful that can be shared with the world. we want to use art to bring people together and show how much progress we’ve made in managing hiv/aids,” said paul hempel, a senior vice president at alere, who is also hiv-positive. “i no longer see hiv as a lethal virus. advances in prevention, monitoring and treatment have turned it into a chronic illness, so that i, and others with hiv, can live a full and happy life. i can plan for my future over the long-term and go about fulfilling my dreams, which is something i couldn’t imagine doing a few years ago.” thirty million people have died from hiv/aids, and it continues to spread at a rate of 7,000 people per day globally. what most people do not know is that, over the years, innovation in healthcare has made it possible to manage the virus. with the right tools, care and education, people diagnosed are able to live full, healthy and active lives. make (+) more positive is designed to connect people around the world who have been affected by hiv/aids and demonstrate that, with today's advances in healthcare, living positively is a reality. alere makes positive more positive by screening for hiv/aids quickly and accurately at the point of care, as well as by providing the necessary tools to ensure proper treatment, monitoring and management. every day, the company’s tests and services help reduce the spread of the virus, empower individuals to live long, healthy lives, and give everyone just one more reason to be positive. two new hiv/aids products from alere, both of which are pending fda clearance for use in the united states, include the alere determine™ hiv 1/2 ag/ab combo rapid test, which can help identify hiv just days after infection, and the alere™ cd4 analyzer, which gives healthcare professionals access to rapid, absolute cd4 results, enables them to initiate antiretroviral therapy where appropriate, and allows them to regularly monitor those on therapy. “we want to use this conference to join forces with the organizations that are making such a positive difference here in the united states for people affected by hiv/aids,” said hempel. “thirty years after the discovery of the virus, we have made so much progress on the treatment and the prevention of the disease. today, we have more means than ever to make positive more positive.” alere product availability varies by region. about alere by developing new capabilities in near-patient diagnosis, monitoring and health management, alere enables individuals to take charge of improving their health and quality of life at home. alere's global leading products and services, as well as its new product development efforts, focus on cardiology, women's health, infectious disease, oncology and toxicology. alere is headquartered in waltham, massachusetts. for more information regarding alere please visit www.alere.com. for more information, contact eric hartsock at 443-858-4437 or ehartsock@exit10.com photos/multimedia gallery available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=50065500&lang=en
