March is the Deep-Vein Thrombosis (DVT) Awareness Month

Spread it!

Share

Email This

You know the importance of healthy life choices and passing them along to those you care for. But sometimes those you love don’t have the time to think about silent risks they could be facing on a regular basis. In fact, people may be putting themselves at risk by simply sitting at a desk or even relaxing on a plane ride during a family vacation. March is the seventh annual Deep-Vein Thrombosis (DVT) Awareness Month, and the Coalition to Prevent DVT is urging everyone to put DVT Awareness In Motion!

This year’s program goes beyond building traditional awareness of the signs and symptoms of DVT and emphasizes the importance of preventative care in everyday settings such as:

• Office setting
• In a bed, whether hospital or at home
• Assisted-Living or Rehabilitation facilities
• During travel

You may already know that DVT occurs when muscles of the legs are inactive, allowing blood to collect in the lower extremities? Working with Mary Ann Wilson, RN, founder and host of PBS program “Sit and Be Fit,” the Coalition has developed an educational video that features simple, low impact movements to increase blood circulation. Visit www.preventdvt.org to take a look.

The video also features stories from those touched personally by DVT. One of the stories comes from Coalition to Prevent DVT National Spokesperson, Melanie Bloom. Bloom shares her story about learning the news of the loss of her husband, NBC News correspondent David Bloom from complications of DVT while covering the war in Iraq. To watch a special iPSA from Melanie Bloom, speaking of the importance of DVT Awareness, please visit: www.westglen.com/online/dvt_awareness_motion.htm

So in honor of DVT Awareness Month, get out there during March to encourage those you love to put DVT Awareness In Motion!

About the Coalition to Prevent DVT:

In February 2003, more than 60 organizations assembled at the Public Health Leadership Conference on Deep-Vein Thrombosis (DVT) in Washington, D.C. to discuss the urgent need to make DVT a major U.S. public health priority. As a result of this meeting, which was co-hosted by the American Public Health Association (APHA) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and funded by sanofi-aventis, participants agreed to establish a Coalition of organizations committed to educating the public and healthcare community about DVT.

In August 2003, national thought leaders and representatives from key organizations, including the American College of Chest Physicians, the APHA and the Society of Hospital Medicine met to set and guide the direction of the Coalition to Prevent DVT. A key outcome of this meeting was the decision to sponsor DVT Awareness Month, a campaign to bring DVT into the public eye on a national and local level.

To date, more than 60 organizations have joined the Coalition to Prevent DVT in a united effort to raise awareness and educate others about the importance of the medical condition.

This feature is a Public Service Announcement for raising awareness about an important health issue. This is not an advertisement and no compensation was requested or received to get the word out.

Tagged as: health, risk