March DVT Awareness Month Overview
This March, the Coalition kicked off the sixth national DVT Awareness Month with
the introduction of a resolution by the U.S. House of Representatives to mark the
second Tuesday of every March as National DVT Screening Day and with the launch
of a nationwide RV tour Driving to Reduce the Risks of DVT. The Coalition is now
traveling to hospitals and communities across the country to emphasize the importance
of risk assessment in helping to reduce the number of people affected by DVT, which
exceeds 2 million in the U.S., every year. Of those, 300,000 will die from related
complication, pulmonary embolism, making PE the most common cause of preventable
hospital death.
National Screening Day Highlights
On March 10, Rep. Lois Capps and Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers introduced the National
DVT Screening Day resolution to help the Coalition highlight DVT as a national public
health priority and to honor the memory of Congresswoman Jennifer Dunn, who died
of DVT-related complications in 2007. Her son, Seattle’s King County Councilman
Reagan Dunn, was on hand to help honor his mother. Watch a short video of Rep. McMorris
Rodgers presenting the resolution.
Meanwhile, in New York City, National Coalition Patient Spokesperson Melanie Bloom
and Coalition Steering Committee Member Dr. Geno Merli revved up the RV’s engine
with a live appearance on NBC’s "Today" show that featured the RV, announced the
tour and showcased the interactive risk assessment tools.
Driving to Reduce the Risks of DVT Highlights from the Road
After a strong start in New York, the RV set out on its journey to promote patient
risk assessment with five successful stops in March:
- Chippenham Johnston-Willis Medical Center, Richmond, VA, March 11
- Emory Healthcare and Piedmont Hospital, Atlanta, March 13 and 16
- Florida Hospital, Orlando, FL, March 19
- Methodist Dallas Medical Center, Dallas, March 26
- University Hospital and the Texas Diabetes Institute, San Antonio, March 30
National and Local Media Highlights
As a result of all its activity, the Coalition has received widespread media coverage
in March, including:
- 11 national TV broadcast segments, including
- "CNN Newsroom Live with Heidi Collins," featuring Dr. Sanjay Gupta
- MSNBC’s "Morning Joe"
- FOX News’ "On the Record with Greta Van Susteren"
- 2 national print articles, including The Washington Times’ "Inside the Beltway"
column
- 3 national radio interviews, including a segment on Sirius Radio
- 67 local TV broadcast segments
- 364 online placements
Thank You
The Coalition would like to extend a huge thank you to everyone who helped make
these March events such a success! Every mile traveled furthers the Coalition’s
goal of encouraging patient risk assessment and proper care and, most importantly,
reducing the number of people affected by DVT. By continuing to shine a national
spotlight on DVT and the need to risk assess patients; it is our hope to close the
gap between risk and patient understanding.