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NATT will use its two Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)grants to "launch a national wake-up call to promote public and healthcareprofessional awareness of this serious medical condition that each year killsnearly 300,000 Americans," explains NATT President Randy Fenninger.
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"We have a national crisis because few people recognize or understand thesymptoms and risk factors of this silent killer. And even equally startling,is that not enough of our nation's healthcare professionals have a fullunderstanding of the symptoms and the methods for treatment of this life-threatening condition," he said. Complications from clotting, occurring inmore than half of those affected individuals, can often have seriousconsequences - as is evident from an annual mortality rate that is greaterthan the combined deaths from breast cancer, AIDS, and automobile accidents.
Mr. Fenninger complimented the proactive efforts of the CDC forrecognizing the need to fund an all-out public and professional attack againstblood clotting disorders. The awards, he notes, "serve to further support ournational education and awareness work. This is a superb news for all Americansat risk for blood clots, and a very proud moment for the many volunteers whohave worked so hard to move NATT from a board room dream to a now nationallyrespected community-based advocacy organization that does so much good."
Aiding the CDC's proactive funding efforts was a meeting held in May of2006 by the U.S. Surgeon General who brought together national healthcare andpublic leaders to discuss the serious problems surrounding blood clots andclotting disorders. The general theme from this meeting is the publication of"Call-to-Action" this fall by the U.S. Surgeon General to improve educationand awareness within the healthcare profession, as well as the general public.
These facts, combined with a serious lack of awareness among the public,constitute a significant public health problem that NATT has been battlingsince its inception in 2003. NATT Executive Director Alan Brownstein explainedthat a national initiative called "Stop-The-Clot," will now be launched. Themulti-tiered program, one of two receiving funding awards from the CDC, willfocus its education and awareness efforts on such objectives as:
The CDC also awarded funding for a nurses and non-physician healthcareprofessionals' education project that will specifically address the areas ofblood clot prevention, diagnosis, treatment and management. NATT's MedicalAnd Scientific Advisory Board (MASAB) Chairman Dr. Stephan Moll, director ofthe University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill Thrombophilia Program,expressed his board's delight regarding the CDC awards. "I commend the CDC ontheir efforts to respond to this extreme health issue in such a proactivemanner through funding these programs instituted by NATT," he said.
Dr. Moll noted that the healthcare professionals' education project isdeemed an essential element in the fight against blood clots. "Improving thecontent and delivery of health information/education by nurses and other non-physicians," he said, "provides an educational and training aspect to acritical part of a patient's healthcare and wellness."
The program, Dr. Moll explained, will be delivered nationally through theutilization of evidence-based teaching methods in small group sessions led bytrained faculty. The program's ultimate goal is to prevent secondaryconditions in people with clotting disorders by improving their access toknowledgeable healthcare
