About Us : Our History
Our History:
Health experts have long recognized that undetected and untreated P.A.D. contributes to diminished quality of life, decreased functional status, and increased rates of amputation, heart attack, stroke, and death. While several health organizations have sponsored individual initiatives to improve P.A.D. outcomes, a clear consensus emerged in recent years that only a broad-based alliance of health organizations and government agencies could adequately address this daunting public health challenge. Established in 2004, the Coalition is a collaborative network of organizations, government agencies, and corporations committed to creating the most important national program to improve vascular disease awareness and education.
During the 1990s, a number of efforts were initiated to conduct public education and assess awareness of P.A.D. These include the Society for Vascular Nursing’s “Step Ahead” Program for P.A.D. screening, the national P.A.D. Awareness, Risk and Treatment: New Resources for Survival (PARTNERS) Program, the Society of Interventional Radiology’s “Legs for Life” program, and educational activities of the American Vascular Association, the Society for Vascular Medicine, the American Heart Association (AHA), the American Diabetes Association, and the Society for Vascular Ultrasound.
Several pivotal meetings brought together thought leaders and experts in vascular medicine. The AHA’s “Atherosclerotic Vascular Disease Summit” held in July 2002 focused on translating scientific research for the public. The Peripheral Vascular Health Summit, organized by the Society of Interventional Radiology and held in August 2002, convened representatives from major vascular and medical organizations and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to explore how best to organize a coordinated, national approach to promote P.A.D. awareness and education. Summit participants determined that a national initiative could operate as a unit of the Vascular Disease Foundation (VDF), a national, intersocietal, public, nonprofit organization.
Momentum to create the P.A.D. Coalition continued to build at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)-VDF “Strategic Planning Meeting on PAD Public Education” (PDF) in January 2003. This meeting focused on how to initiate a national effort to raise awareness about P.A.D. and explored science-based P.A.D. messages and strategies for implementing and marketing a campaign. Consensus was reached quickly on the need to achieve a level of recognition and understanding of peripheral arterial disease to equal that of coronary arterial disease.
June 2004 marked the inaugural meeting of the national P.A.D. Coalition held on the National Institutes of Health campus in cooperation with the NHLBI. The meeting brought together representatives from 14 vascular societies and other medical organizations, and the group reconfirmed its commitment for a unified, long-term effort on P.A.D. awareness and education. At this meeting, the Coalition’s structure and mission were created and the goals of a national campaign were determined.
In 2004, Alan T. Hirsch, MD, and Marge Lovell, RN, CCRC, CVN, were designated as co-chairs of the Coalition. The coalition’s “Rules of Governance” were approved, and standing committees were formed and began developing plans for patient and health professional education activities. The Coalition’s advocacy for NHLBI to conduct a P.A.D. public awareness campaign resulted in the Institute committing approximately $2 million over three years for developing and implementing the “Stay in Circulation: Take Steps to Learn About P.A.D." campaign.
Pharmaceutical and medical device companies also have had a role in these past activities by providing advice on reaching the public and the health care community with educational messages. The Coalition recognizes that industry is a key ally in expanding the reach of Coalition efforts.
Today, the Coalition is comprised of more than 70 organizations representing more than 1 million health care providers and 500,000 patient advocates. This national collaboration, supported by the federal government, professional and public organizations, and industry, represents an unprecedented opportunity to have a positive impact on the health and well-being of millions of Americans with, or at risk for, P.A.D.
