About PL Cares

PL Cares® (PL) is a secure and confidential clinic-centered engagement in care program that employs a tailored smartphone app for clients and a web portal for Care Team staff to help people living with HIV reach their care goals.  PL is a complete integrated solution that includes HIPAA-compliant secure messaging, patient dashboards, and administrative portals that can be linked to patient lab records.  PL Cares® can be used by patients at all stages of the care continuum: those newly diagnosed and entering care, those who are re-engaging in care and those who are already in care.

ProsperaLibre is the Spanish-language adaptation of the PL app. The Haitian Kreyòl-language adaptation will be available in 2023.

Warm Health Technology, Inc (WHT) is the exclusive licensee of the PositiveLinks (PL) technology, developed at the University of Virginia (UVA). Distributed by WHT, the PL program is available to healthcare organizations throughout the U.S. and worldwide as PL Cares® The PL platform has been tested and shown positive outcomes with a diverse community of members across age, ethnicity, sex, gender identity, HIV risk factors, education, and employment levels.

 

Why PL Cares is important

Retaining people living with HIV in care is imperative to achieve individual and community health goals. According to data published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), while 87% of people living with HIV are aware of their diagnosis, only 50% are retained in care. The CDC statistics also show that only 57% maintain a non-detectable viral load (VL) -- the level that optimizes health benefits for individuals and reduces HIV transmission. Unfortunately, the promise of improved health and reduced transmission remains remote for many.

In 2019, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) introduced the Ending the HIV Epidemic: A Plan for America (EHE) initiative with the goal of reducing new HIV infections in the United States by 75% by 2025 and 90% by 2030. The Treat strategy identified by the EHE initiative aims to “Treat people with HIV rapidly and effectively to reach sustained viral suppression” by:

  • Promptly linking individuals newly diagnosed with HIV to care and treatment, including through rapid start treatment programs;

  • Finding innovative and effective ways to re-engage the estimated 250,000 individuals who are aware of their infection but not receiving HIV care and treatment; and

  • Supporting those already in care who have not yet achieved viral suppression to achieve control of the virus.

By increasing retention in care for people with HIV, PL allows them to benefit from the tremendous advances in anti-retroviral therapy (ART) that support individual health, improve well-being, and offer the potential for a normal life span.

In Practice

Use of the PL smartphone app is associated with improved appointment adherence and patient outcomes. Click each card for .pdf files you can view or print to learn more about the benefits of PL Cares