HIV-mobil is Austria's one and only service organization for home health nursing dedicated to people with HIV and AIDS. The organization was founded in 1999 and is based in Vienna.
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History and goals
The association was founded in 1999 with the support of Vienna's AIDS network (AIDS-Stammtisch) and major encouragement by Burgl Helbich-Poschacher from the Austrian AIDS Service of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta and from Christian Michelides, then director of the self-help organization Menschen und Aids (Club Plus), thereafter founder and director of Lighthouse Wien. The founders of HIV-mobil were health care specialist Beate Dannoritzer, nurse Günter Geyer and social worker Thomas Fröhlich. Dannoritzer has chaired the association since its foundation. Its medical director of many years standing is HIV specialist Wolfgang Steflitsch; the care department is headed by Eva Stifter. From 1999 to 2004 the organization was funded solely by Austria's most prestigious charity event, the Life Ball. Since 2005, Life Ball and City of Vienna share the financing of HIV-mobil. In its Guiding Principles the organization calls its primary goal to be an integral home care and medical services organization, borne by respect toward all people taken care of — ″regardless of age, religion, descent, social position or sexual orientation without any moral judgement.″ HIV-mobil has been networking successfully on a national and international basis, is cooperating with all Viennese AIDS clinics, with AIDS help organizations in Austria, such as Lighthouse Wien, as well as with several assisted living organizations in Vienna.
Furthermore, the organization has developed guidelines for the treatment of people with HIV and AIDS in home care and has been supporting actively the requests of national health organizations at the XVIII International AIDS Conference that took place in Vienna in 2010.