CardioVascular Coalition Commends Congress for Inclusion of Peripheral Artery Disease Language in End-of-Year Appropriations Package

WASHINGTON – The CardioVascular Coalition (CVC), a consortium of physicians, care providers, advocates, and manufacturers working to improve awareness and prevention of peripheral artery disease (PAD), today commended lawmakers in Congress for including language specific to peripheral artery disease education and awareness in Congress’ year-end legislative package. The appropriations language encourages the Centers and Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to specifically focus on PAD.

The provision reads, “Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD). – The agreement encourages CDC to support education and awareness activities that promote early diagnosis of PAD.”

Across the country, approximately 20 million Americans have been diagnosed with PAD, including 1 in 20 Americans over the age of 50. PAD is a vascular disease, which left undiagnosed and untreated can lead to lower limb amputation. Research shows that ethnic and racial minorities have a substantially greater risk of developing PAD and requiring amputations than their white counterparts. For example, African American patients with diabetes are more than three times as likely to have their limbs surgically removed than their white counterparts.

Earlier this year, Congressman Payne – alongside Congressman Gus Bilirakis (R-FL-12) – launched a new Congressional PAD Caucus to educate Congress and communities about PAD while supporting legislative activities to improve PAD research, education, and treatment, with the goal of preventing non-traumatic amputations due to PAD and other related diseases.

The CVC will continue to work with bipartisan lawmakers in Congress on PAD issues in 2020 to advance additional policy efforts to increase awareness and understanding of PAD with the ultimate goal of improving patient outcomes and reducing amputations.