Local nonprofit leader: A blood clot surveillance system is Florida’s chance to lead

Douglas Adkins
·3 min read

You may not be aware of the true threat posed by blood clots … but you should be. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an estimated 900,000 families are affected by blood clots each year — and as many as 100,000 people have suffered death as a result.

Florida may be at the forefront of a breakthrough by becoming the first state in the nation to introduce a blood clot surveillance system.

Floridians are generally unaware of not only their risk of developing blood clots but also the life-saving steps they can take to prevent them. A survey of Floridians last year showed that of those who were aware they had a blood clot risk factor, fewer than 1 in 5 said their doctor talked to them about a prevention plan.

The effort to track blood clots will be championed by the policy workgroup established under the Emily Adkins Prevention Act. This Florida law, passed in 2023, was inspired by our nonprofit foundation, Emily’s Promise, which is dedicated to honoring the life of our daughter who died from a blood clot.

The workgroup consists of lawmakers, medical experts and blood clot survivors working hard to see this surveillance system come to life. The steps to build and implement a statewide blood clot surveillance system have been identified by the group as:

  • Develop case definitions;

  • Identify indicators and data sources;

  • Identify partners to undertake surveillance;

  • Collect, analyze and disseminate data and findings; and

  • Evaluate the system and its impact on venous thromboembolism (condition caused by blood clots).

By establishing a surveillance system, Florida would lead the nation in establishing a tool to let health care providers obtain valuable data from various sources, including hospitals, research institutions and clinics. This data would further advance knowledge of trends, risk factors, outcomes related to blood clots and available resources to address such outcomes effectively.

Additionally, by tracking such information, we may be able to see and track a reduction in blood clots as awareness efforts expand.

Essentially, Florida’s opportunity to implement a statewide surveillance system goes beyond prioritizing the health and well-being of residents. Professionals would be able to receive invaluable insights on ways to enhance current health care practices, ultimately allowing them to strengthen the state’s health care infrastructure.

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With such insights, Florida could encourage other states to follow our lead and initiate a proactive approach to combating blood clots nationwide, eventually benefiting communities across the country.

Now that the workgroup is moving forward, with two productive meetings under its belt, health care professionals and interested parties can come together to incorporate the necessary practices and practical strategies to foster a system that will raise the standard of care and prevent unnecessary deaths.

Executing this tool will save lives, protect public health, drive research and innovation in the medical field and transform preventive medicine and patient care. It’s time to recognize the urgency of implementing such a system and put it into action now — for the sake of those who will be affected by the silent threat (and potentially life-altering heartache) of clot-related conditions.

Adkins
Adkins

Douglas Adkins is CEO of Emily’s Promise, a North Florida-based family foundation dedicated to the memory of his daughter, Emily Elizabeth Adkins. He lives in Fernandina Beach.

This guest column is the opinion of the author and does not necessarily represent the views of the Times-Union. We welcome a diversity of opinions.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Blood clot surveillance to save lives, protect Florida's public health