The Florida House of Representatives authorized a bill from state Sen. Clay Yarborough, R-Jacksonville, and state Rep. Dean Black, R-Jacksonville, that would require the Agency for Health Care Administration and the state Surgeon General to establish a policy workgroup to understand how blood clots and pulmonary emboli impact Floridians.
The workgroup would consider recommendations regarding the standard of care guidelines and determine how many Florida residents are affected. It would identify how data is collected and emerging treatments and therapies and would develop a recommendation for risk surveillance systems.
The issue was initiated by Doug and former state Rep. Janet Adkins, whose 23-year-old daughter Emily Adkins died unexpectantly in October 2022 of a pulmonary embolism – the result of a blood clot while recovering from a broken ankle. The “Emily Adkins Prevention Act” garnered bipartisan support, passing unanimously out of its respective committees and by both chambers. With the bill’s passage by the House and previously the Senate, the bill will now be sent to Gov. Ron DeSantis for his consideration.
“I’m grateful to the Adkins family for their willingness to share their story and bring this issue to the Legislature. This bill is about having a better understanding of blood clots, who it affects and how they can occur so we can save lives,” said Black.
“Florida is once again leading the way on an important public health issue,” said Yarbrough. “This legislation will give other states a model to follow to help ensure that families have access to information and more standardized care to help prevent tragic outcomes.”
According to the National Blood Clot Alliance, over 900,000 Americans are diagnosed with a blood clot each year, with nearly half sustaining long-term health effects as a result.
“Better awareness and screening can help prevent countless deaths and injuries,” said Leslie Lake, the president of the Alliance. “As a pulmonary embolism survivor, this legislation gives me hope that we can bring this model to other states and get individuals the information they need to navigate the issues that can follow a blood clot diagnosis.”
“From the beginning, our goal was to raise awareness about blood clots and what can be done to prevent a pulmonary embolism,” said Doug Adkins. “This is an important issue that affects families across Florida and the country, and we’re grateful to Senator Yarborough and Representative Black for leading their colleagues in ensuring the passage of this bill and to the entire Legislature for helping us honor Emily’s memory.”
Janet and Doug Adkins, together with their son Douglas, established Emily’s Promise, a nonprofit foundation dedicated to the memory of their daughter and to raising awareness about blood clots and pulmonary embolisms.
According to the National Blood Clot Alliance, over 900,000 Americans each year experience blood clots, with over half sustaining long-term health effects as a result. Better awareness and screening can help prevent countless deaths and injuries.
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