Grant Could Be Life Saver For Thrombosis, Thrombophilia Victims

GRISWOLD — A $1.35 million grant recently awarded from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to a national community-based advocacy organization has a Connecticut man extremely pleased and proud.

Tom Hoganof Griswold, a member of the Board of Directors for award recipient The National Alliance for Thrombosis and Thrombophilia (NATT), called the grant award “a major step in NATT’s effort to promote public and health care professional awareness and understanding about blood clotting disorders.”

Blood clots occur each year to nearly one million Americans. Of those affected, nearly 300,000 die from this serious and silent killer. The mortality rate for this medical condition is greater than the combined deaths from breast cancer, AIDS, and automobile accidents.

Mr Hogan is a blood clot survivor, having suffered a blood clot in his lung and two separate blood clots in his legs (1992 and 1995). Subsequently he was diagnosed with an inherited blood clot disorder in 1996.

The life-threatening incident prompted him to help raise awareness about this deadly medical condition.

“We have a national crisis because few people recognize or understand the symptoms and risk factors of this critical medical condition,” he said. Complications from clotting incidents occur in more than half of those individuals affected. “Most startling,” he said, “is the fact that statistics show that very few of our nation’s health care professionals have a full understanding of the symptoms and methods for treatment of this life-threatening condition.”

Mr Hogan explained that his organization, now in its fourth year, is launching a major public information initiative called, Stop-the-Clot.

The campaign will use several avenues to promote public awareness. Among the education mediums are use of its already successful patient seminar series and collaboration with the National Hemophilia Treatment Centers, the Thrombosis and Hemostasis Centers, and the Anticoagulation Forum network.

The CDC grant also provides for funding of a nurses and nonphysician health care professionals’ education project that will specifically address the areas of blood clot prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and management.

“It is a wonderful, worthwhile organization and I would encourage anyone interested in volunteering their time to do so. There is plenty of exciting work ahead of us,” said Mr Hogan.

For more information regarding NATT and its national programs, contact Mr. Hogan at 860-376-3250 or contact the NATT national offices at 914-467-7808. Qualified information regarding blood clot issues is available through NATT’s website at www.nattinfo.org.