VDF Goes to Washington for National Campaign Launch

It's time to celebrate! The long- awaited launch of a national peripheral arterial disease (PAD) awareness campaign was finally unveiled!

On Tuesday, September 19, VDF joined the P.A.D. Coalition in the national PAD campaign launch in Washington, D.C. The P.A.D. Coalition is a group of 45 member organizations made up of medical societies, voluntary health organizations, government agencies, medical device and pharmaceutical companies that have joined together to improve the lives of those with PAD. Over 100 people from the various member organizations attended this momentous occasion. VDF is proud to be one of the founding members of the Coalition.

The campaign, called "Stay in Circulation: Take Steps to Learn about PAD," was created to provide education for the general public about PAD and was developed by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI). NHLBI director Elizabeth G. Nabel, MD, kicked off the launch by stressing the importance of the campaign and the need to get information out to the general public about PAD.

"Symptoms of PAD should not be mistaken for the inevitable consequences of aging," said Dr. Nabel. "Early detection and treatment of PAD are important for staying in circulation and continuing to enjoy life to the fullest."

A town-hall meeting of representatives from member organizations took place to update members on the Coalition's progress thus far and to share plans for the future. As part of the Stay-in- Circulation campaign, additional materials were introduced, including fact sheets, posters, public service announcements, stickers, purple vinyl feet, and tool kits to spread the word about PAD in the community. Radio ads will be aired in many cities. The NHLBI also unveiled a seven-minute

patient DVD to help the general public learn more about PAD, its signs, symptoms, and risk factors. Many of these items are available for download from the campaign site www.aboutpad.org.

Why the Need for the PAD campaign?
More than eight million Americans suffer from PAD—hardening of the arteries (also known as "atherosclerosis") in the limbs, often the legs. PAD is caused by the same risk factors that lead to heart disease and is a serious disease that is treatable if found in time.

While PAD is a common and treatable disease that is on the rise among midlife and older Americans, it is still largely unknown, often unrecognized, and regarded by many as an inevitable consequence of aging. "Generally speaking, an astonishing 25% of persons with undetected vascular disease will either have a heart attack, stroke, amputation, or die in five years," said Sheryl Benjamin, executive director of the Vascular Disease Foundation.

"While there is no cure for PAD, studies have proven that early detection and treatment can greatly enhance and prolong a person's life."

Taking It to the Hill
Members from the Coalition's Advocacy Committee went to the Capitol later in the afternoon to conduct a PAD briefing for legislators and their staff. The goal of the briefing was to raise awareness of the need for increased attention to peripheral arterial disease and to review legislative goals to improve early detection of the disease among at-risk Americans. Representatives from 35 Congressional offices participated.

According to Gwen Twillman, P.A.D. Coalition executive director, "This briefing provided an opportunity to educate legislators and their staff on the severity of PAD and its impact on the nation's cardiovascular health. We feel the meeting opened the door to future discussions for legislative initiatives to improve the diagnosis and treatment of PAD and ultimately the quality of many lives."

A Call to Action
The one thing that was commonly expressed at the launch was the overwhelmingly strong need to get the message to the general public and to further educate the medical profession about PAD.

"All clinicians, hospitals, and health- care systems which provide care for individuals with PAD are very concerned when care is offered only when symptoms are already very severe. Millions of individuals suffer these symptoms and yet remain vulnerable to heart attack, stroke, amputation, or death at a time when effective treatments exist," said Alan T. Hirsch, MD, chair of the P.A.D. Coalition, professor of epidemiology and community health at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health, and director of the Vascular Medicine Program at the Minneapolis Heart Institute and Abbott Northwestern's Vascular Center, Minneapolis, MN. "We are certain that a well-informed public, with access to health-care providers who are prepared to provide these simple evaluations, can provide a fundamental first step in protecting the cardiovascular health, wellbeing, and independence of our community."

"This campaign is a national 'call to action' to the public, as well as to physicians and health systems to now provide the effective care that saves lives of those with PAD," said Coalition Vice- Chair, Marge Lovell, RN, CCRC, CVN, BEd, Clinical Trials Nurse at the London Health Sciences Centre in London, ON.

The P.A.D. Coalition would like to thank its sponsors for helping make this important initiative possible: Cordis, a Johnson and Johnson Company, Bristol-Myers Squibb-Sanofi-aventis partnership, W.L. Gore, Medtronic, Cook, Biomedix, ev3 and Summit Doppler.

For more information about the Coalition, please visit www.padcoalition.org. For information about the Staying in Circulation Campaign, visit www.aboutpad.org