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Empathetic. Therapeutic. Supportive. Funny. Educational.

These are some of the words used to describe a presentation by Kendra Kleber.

Whatever the topic -  the legal rights and responsibilities of people with HIV, protecting patient privacy by health care providers, the job satisfaction of social service agency employees, or the efficiency of government programs - Kendra Kleber has a unique perspective that resonates with audiences. She is completely, obviously and totally biased in favor of the audience, and respectful of the work done by others.

Kendra has much to say about and for people concerned with all sorts of disabilities, and for people concerned with serving and selling to people with all sorts of disabilities. By specifically addressing issues facing people living with HIV/AIDS, Kendra simultaneously makes HIV less scary while emphasizing the universal nature of disabilities.

Since HIV is "an invisible disability," (you cannot tell someone is HIV-positive just by looking at them) Kendra helps each audience examine their presumptions about disabilities. As a person with an invisible disability, Kendra S. Kleber challenges her audiences to "think outside of the box" of their comfortable routines and habits, and to reach out to others as an act of selfishness. This is Kendra's philosophy: If you chose your work because it allows you to help others, then when you do something helpful for another person you should accept that good job as a part of your salary, your reward. Reach out to others, help others; you will get the benefit of doing the good work that got you into your field in the first place.

Legal training and education as an antidote to stigma, liability and litigation

Kendra S. Kleber & Associates has developed a number of legal training programs to address legal rights and responsibilities related to HIV/AIDS. HIV truly is a "privacy wildcard," because it changes just about everything you thought you knew about the confidentiality of employment, treatment, health care, social service and customer records. Is there HIV-related information in your files or records? Do you know?

State and federal privacy laws protect this sensitive information, and what you don’t know can hurt you. Legal training and education is an excellent starting point to prevent legal problems and preserve your relationships with your employees, customers, colleagues and competitors.

New Legal Issues regarding HIV/AIDS Legal Rights & Responsibilities

Kendra S. Kleber has focused her law practice on HIV/AIDS legal issues since 1997. From 2000 until 2004, she worked under contract to the State of Michigan to provide statewide legal services on matters related to HIV/AIDS, and training on HIV-related legal rights and responsibilities. During that time she had the opportunity to get an overview, regionally and nationally, of the problems facing people living with HIV/AIDS, and also to develop legal training programs and advocacy strategies to respond to those problems.

New Issues for Agencies and Providers

The increasing complexity of HIV/AIDS treatment regimens combined with ever-louder demands for medical privacy in the Internet Age directly affect the business of providing services or assistance to people living with HIV/AIDS. Changes in the law and the evolving needs of people living with HIV/AIDS require a level of organizational agility and responsiveness that may be uncomfortable for many human service providers who originally chose to work in the nonprofit sector to avoid a "for-profit mentality."

Reducing legal liability while improving customer service is not just a consideration for "for profit" organizations. Every organization that provides a service and seeks funding support from any source should be aware of the demands of their market. And those "demands" do (or should) always include prudent liability analysis and responsible efforts to minimize avoidable risk. Effective staff training can increase sensitivity to HIV-specific legal rights and responsibilities, and reduce potential legal liability.

Evolving legal considerations for providers and businesses include:

• The nuts and bolts of the relationships between different systems involved in a client’s care, such as HIV case management, health care providers, substance abuse and mental health treatment providers, criminal justice, public health, and public education;

• Health record privacy and HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) and the interplay with other federal laws that control particular providers (such as 42 CFR Part 2, the federal confidentiality regulations for substance abuse treatment providers);

• Use of the Internet for client record storage, and allowing client access to information;

• Accreditation and audit demands that enforce or require enhanced accountability and improved health record protections.

The legal environment is changing for people living with HIV/AIDS just as much as it is changing for their providers and treatment teams. HIV-related legal problems used to center on confidentiality breaches by family or friends, access to medical care and discrimination by unsophisticated primary health care providers. Recent trends reflect an increasing number of problems in these areas:

• Financial stability, including qualifying for public disability benefits, credit and collections, access to public housing, and termination of private disability claims;

• Employment, including keeping a job either without disclosing HIV status or after disclosure is made, job-related discrimination, and returning to work after a period of medical disability;

• The process of seeking reasonable accommodations to modify work as health and abilities change, and decisions about disclosing HIV status as a part of that process;

• Confidentiality breaches by employers, treatment providers, and others who provide supportive services;

• Discrimination by secondary health care providers, such as chiropractors, dentists, nutrition experts and others who do not provide primary care; and

• Access to emotional and mental health support services, such as mental health treatment, substance abuse treatment and counseling.

Kendra S. Kleber has developed a number of legal training programs to address many topics related to HIV/AIDS. Currently, workshops on Social Security Secrets are available for scheduling. Versions are available for audiences of people living with HIV, for case managers and advocates, and a new version for doctors and health care providers is "in the works." A full day workshop for case managers and advocates that includes both the pre-requisite The Basic Secrets (morning, 3 hours) and The Top Secrets (afternoon, 4 hours) is available as well. Programs typically are from two to four hours in length. Training programs and materials can be modified to meet the needs of the audience and the time available. Further modification takes place at the actual event as questions from the audience help direct the flow of the conversation. Kendra S. Kleber teaches in an active, entertaining and energetic style that draws the audience in to the topic, engages and encourages problem-solving and real-world hypothetical examples, and keeps everyone awake. Questions are encouraged throughout the event to ensure that they are addressed during the time allowed. Ample handout materials allow the audience to focus on the information instead of taking notes, and provide reference materials for the future.

Funny, entertaining, educational. This is not a typical legal training!

Workshop fees

There are three costs related to a legal training event: handout materials for the audience, travel costs of getting Kendra to the site you've arranged, and an event fee. The event fee is calculated at the rate of $600 per hour; $1,000 minimum. Discounts apply for frequently provided programs: for 2007 that means that a Social Security Secrets workshop of 2 or 3 hours is $500 per hour for an audience of up to 75 people. The event fee for the full day version of Social Security Secrets for Advocates is $2,400. Discounts can apply when a program is offered on a series of dates, if contracted in advance. Usually the event fee is paid in advance to confirm a date.

Typically an event host, whether it is a state agency hosting a conference or a support group holding a meeting, is asked to make the paper copies of the handouts that will be used in the workshop. Handouts are selected based on the topics which have been chosen by the hosts, from Kendra's library of materials. Kendra provides materials for Social Security Secrets for the audience on compact discs, as a means of reducing the volume of handouts required.

Travel arrangements and expenses can be reduced or even waived when it is likely that the workshop will directly improve the quality of life, independence or self-sufficiency of people living with HIV. Especially when travel outside of Michigan is required, Kendra has conducted a Social Security Secrets for People living with HIV workshop at no charge when Social Security Secrets for Advocates is scheduled for the same trip. This means that you could schedule an event for clients in the afternoon after Kendra's flight arrives, and schedule an event for case managers the following morning before Kendra's return flight leaves, all for the cost of the Advocates program. 

Kendra is an exceptionally soft touch. Yes, there is an event fee. Yes, you get what you pay for. And yes, we'll help you work within your budget. So call, ask, and let's see what we can work out!

Social Security Secrets: The Training

Audience comments about Kendra S. Kleber as a trainer

Satisfied Clients

The goals of each Kleber & Associates training are to reduce HIV stigma,

and to prevent frivolous and avoidable litigation.

How can we help you?

Contact Kendra S. Kleber at 248-591-0301 to schedule a legal training for your staff or your clients, on the topics that are most relevant to you.