October 2006 | Vol. 24, No. 10

SVU Participates in Launch of Stay in Circulation P.A.D. National Campaign

September 19 marked the official launch in Washington, DC, of the national public awareness campaign -- “Stay in Circulation” -- to help the public and health care providers take steps to learn about Peripheral Arterial Disease (P.A.D.). The “Stay in Circulation” campaign is a joint effort of the P.A.D. Coalition of which SVU is a charter member, and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.

P.A.D. affects 8 to 12 million Americans and raises the risk for heart attack and stroke. However, the disease is still largely unknown, and its symptoms too often are regarded by many as an inevitable consequence of aging. The “Stay in Circulation: Take Steps to Learn about P.A.D.” is a multi-year, national awareness campaign to increase public and health care provider awareness about P.A.D. and its association with other cardiovascular diseases.

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) – part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) – and the P.A.D. Coalition have worked cooperatively to develop this campaign, which includes media outreach, partnership activities, and a full suite of patient education materials. The P.A.D. Coalition is remarkable for its size since it is an alliance of more than 40 national organizations and professional societies, including SVU, who are concerned with P.A.D. The SVU P.A.D. Coalition Liaison Judy Fried and SVU Executive Director Steve Haracznak attended the official launch events in Washington DC with Steve reporting on SVU participation and activities.

SVU urges its members to get involved in the “Stay in Circulation” campaign and inform their patients and others in their community about this new national public awareness campaign regarding peripheral arterial disease. September 18-22, 2006, was “Stay in Circulation Week.” For details on how you can participate in the multi-year “Stay in Circulation” Campaign in your local community, go to either www.aboutpad.org or the SVU website at www.svunet.org to download the “Stay in Circulation Community Action Tool Kit” that will provide you with everything you need to get involved in this public education campaign about peripheral arterial disease.

SVU welcomes hearing by email (stayincirculation@svunet.org) about SVU member activities in the “Stay in Circulation Campaign” so that we can share them as inspiration in a future e-Spectrum newsletter. Thank you for your participation in the “Stay in Circulation Campaign.”