Mobile Commons, Sanofi US, and the Prostate Cancer Foundation Partner to Improve Patient Understanding with the New PROST8CARE™ Text Messaging Program
PROST8CARE Provides Free Support with Timed Text Messages That Coincide with Each Patient's Chemotherapy Cycle
NEW YORK, NEW YORK (PRWEB) February 05, 2013
Mobile Commons, Sanofi US, and the Prostate Cancer Foundation (PCF) have joined forces to create PROST8CARE™, a new text messaging program that delivers encouragement to men with advanced prostate cancer, timed to coincide with their chemotherapy treatment cycles.
PROST8CARE provides information—created by a board of oncologists and oncology nurses in partnership with PCF—to help patients and their caregivers understand their course of therapy. The text messages are designed to increase patients' involvement—and help reinforce the information provided by their professional health care teams.
To help encourage participation, physicians and their staffs will receive in-office print materials with information on PROST8CARE and the enrollment process.
Once enrolled, participants will start receiving text messages within 1 week, timed to their treatment cycle. The topics covered include recommendations for addressing certain side effects and tips about food and diet.
"Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in American men, with 1 in 6 facing a prostate cancer diagnosis in his lifetime and 241,740 new cases reported in 2012 alone," says Howard Soule, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer of PCF. "Through PROST8CARE, we are helping those coping with advanced stages of the disease through text messages timed to coincide with their chemotherapy treatment cycles."
"Text messaging is becoming a vital tool for healthcare providers because it can deliver information in a way that's easy and convenient for some patients to access," says Jed Alpert, CEO and Co-Founder of Mobile Commons. "The goal of PROST8CARE is to encourage patients and educate them, and facilitate productive conversations with their physicians throughout the course of their treatment. And because 95% of Americans with chronic diseases have access to texting, this may be an effective way to reach these patients."
Although there is no fee to enroll in the PROST8CARE program, standard text and data rates may apply. PROST8CARE is a one-way text messaging service. Patients who have questions are directed to ask their oncology treatment teams.
A Board of Experienced Advisors Leads Program Development
A board of experienced, professional advisors has guided the program development for PROST8CARE. Members include:
Medical Oncologists
Alan J. Koletsky, MD, Center for Hematology-Oncology, Boca Raton, FL
Daniel P. Petrylak, MD, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY
Matthew R. Smith, MD, PhD, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Boston, MA
Robert A. Somer, MD, Cooper Cancer Institute, Voorhees, NJ
Oncology Nurses
Jaime Austino, MSN, RN, OCN, Cooper Cancer Institute, Voorhees, NJ
Colleen B. Lemoine, APRN, MN, AOCN, RN-BC, Interim Louisiana State University Public Hospital, New Orleans, LA
Karen Minder, RN, MSN, Palm Beach Cancer Institute, West Palm Beach, FL
Jacqui Mitchell, MSN, APRN, AOCNS, Tripler Army Medical Center, Honolulu, HI
For more information on the PROST8CARE program, please visit http://www.pcf.org.
About Mobile Commons
Mobile Commons, a mobile strategy and software company, is the technology behind today's most effective mobile messaging campaigns. Mobile Commons makes messaging simple with its industry-leading expertise. The software is easy to use, quick to implement, fully integrated, and equipped with every feature needed to make outreach and engagement more effective. Mobile Commons' customers that have received remarkable results include the California Department of Public Health, NY City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Harvard Pilgrim, NY MTA, AARP, the Humane Society, R/GA, and hundreds of others. For more information, visit http://www.MobileCommons.com.
About the Prostate Cancer Foundation (PCF)
The Prostate Cancer Foundation (PCF) is the world's leading philanthropic organization funding and accelerating research. Founded in 1993 by Michael Milken, PCF has raised more than $500 million and provided funding to over 1600 research projects at nearly 200 institutions in 15 countries around the world. Since 2008, it has supported 100 Young Investigators in 7 countries and launched 17 PCF team science Challenge Awards. PCF advocates for greater awareness of prostate cancer and more efficient investment of governmental research funds supporting transformational cancer research. PCF efforts over 19 years have helped produce a 20-fold increase in government funding for prostate cancer and fast-forward research on research on drugs for advanced prostate cancer . More information about PCF can be found at http://www.pcf.org.
About Sanofi
Sanofi, a global and diversified health care leader, discovers, develops, and distributes therapeutic solutions focused on patients' needs. Sanofi has core strengths in the field of health care with 7 growth platforms: diabetes solutions, human vaccines, innovative drugs, rare diseases, consumer health care, emerging markets, and animal health. Sanofi is listed in Paris and in New York. Sanofi is the holding company of a consolidated group of subsidiaries and operates in the United States as Sanofi US. For more information on Sanofi US, please visit http://www.sanofi.us or call 1-800-981-2491.