Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE) are preventable blood clots which affect over 600,000 Americans each year and cause more deaths than breast cancer and AIDS combined. Half of survivors have long-term complications.
In the federal budget, $30 billion goes to HIV/AIDS, yet $0 line-item allocation is made to DVT/PE even though clots kill far more Americans. This disparity is unacceptable.
We believe the Obama administration should:
1. Make DVT/PE a national public health priority.
2. Propose a dedicated funding line for DVT/PE in the budget.
3. Spearhead creation of a ‘National Strategy for DVT/PE’ to guide federal engagement similar to the long-term national action plans which exist for HIV/AIDS, heart disease, stroke, cancer and other medical conditions.