In an ongoing effort to shine the spotlight on underserved disease states, the ABC successfully launched a new initiative in March 2018 focused on disparities in diagnosis and initial treatment of Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD) among the African American population.
SEPTEMBER IS PAD AWARENESS MONTH
The ABC 2018 Roundtable: Addressing PAD Diagnosis and Treatment Disparities in African Americans was designed with a goal of convening 16 diverse stakeholders including physicians, community leaders and advocacy experts to meaningfully address challenges and barriers to diagnosis and initial treatment of PAD in the African American population.
Op-Ed: Reduce American Amputations by Enacting Comprehensive Solutions to PAD (September 26, 2018, Morning Consult)
by Ehrin Armstrong, Lola Coke, Foluso Fakorede, and Bryan Fisher
Op-Ed: Healthcare is Justice for Underserved Communities (November 3, 2018, Medpage Today)
by
Increasing Awareness This National Diabetes Month Can Save Limbs and Lives (November 29, 2018, AJMC) by Foluso A. Fakorede
Peripheral Arterial Disease – Mississippi Delta Miracle: Angiographic Screening Yields Dramatic Reduction in Amputations (January 2019, Cath Lab Digest) by Foluso A. Fakorede, MD, Bynthia M. Anose, PhD, Mary L. Yost, MBA, Amy E. Harlow, RN, BSN, Brad J. Martinsen, PhD
Op-Ed: Congress: Adopt solutions to end minority health disparities (April 19, 2019) by Foluso A. Fakorede
Letter to the Editor: Further Steps To Guard Against ‘Shameful’ Amputations (May 6, 2019) by Foluso A. Fakorede
Accomplishments of Initiative to date:
(March 2018) The first step in this Initiative included a Roundtable to develop a deeper and well-rounded understanding of PAD-related challenges from patient, provider and community perspectives and to identify five actionable recommendations/solutions.
- This Roundtable was effective in bringing together patient advocates and advocacy organizations, healthcare providers (including specialists in vascular surgery, interventional cardiology, podiatry, and cardiology) and leaders from faith-based communities.
- (April 2018) An initial infographic summary of the Roundtable proceedings is published.
- (August 2018) ABC-NBNA Joint Event: Presidents Leadership Institute Luncheon. ABC sponsored a 90-minute plenary session – Tackling Adversity and Cardiovascular Disease Contemporary Topics in Diagnosis and Management of Cardiovascular Disease – at the NBNA annual institute and conference reaching over 150 attendees, who are at the front-line and critical to patient care. Drs. Icilma V. Fergus, Foluso A. Fakorede and Jonathan Butler led this session. The plenary session served to drive awareness, understanding and provide the practical implications of the key topics as related to management and treatment of cardiovascular disease in the Black community. One of the topics focused on “The pandemic of peripheral artery disease (PAD) focused on the higher rate of amputation vs. revascularization among Black patients and how this can be addressed by physicians and nurses.”
- (September 2018) members of the ABC PAD Initiative and the PAD Task Force Workgroup held a Congressional Briefing entitled “Preventing Unnecessary Amputations: Peripheral Artery Disease and Congressional Responses.” The briefing asked Congress to direct the Administration to convene an intragovernmental workgroup to develop a standardized model for amputation reduction and raise awareness on the issue.
- (September 2018) ABC-Cardiovascular Research Foundation (CRF) Joint Symposium: ABC members joined with the Cardiovascular Research Foundation’s (CRF) TCT Conference in San Diego, CA to host a “Hot Topic Lunch” symposium, “From Valves to Limbs…A Paradigm for Parity.” Dr. Foluso Fakorede delivered a presentation, “PAD: Overview of Current Management Strategies – Can We Do Better?” and served as part of a panel, which also included Drs. Seun Alli, Kelly C. Epps, Uzoma Ibebuogu and Lee Kirksey, and was moderated by the program co-chairs, Drs. Wayne B. Batchelor and Aaron Horne, Jr.
- (March 2019) Congressman Donald M. Payne, Jr. (NJ-10) establishes Congressional PAD Caucus.
This highly collaborative Initiative would not have been possible without the continued insights and involvement of the talented and dedicated volunteers who represent many different sectors and organizations. The ABC is particularly grateful to be able to work with these individuals towards shared goals.
Roundtable Co-chairs
Foluso Fakorede, MD
Interventional Cardiologist
CEO, Cardiovascular Solutions of Central Mississippi
Lee Kirksey, MD, MBA
Vice Chairman, Department of Vascular Surgery
Sydell and Arnold Miller Heart and Vascular Institute,
Walter W. Buckley Endowed Chair
The Cleveland Clinic
Roundtable Participants
Andre Artis, MD, MBA, FACC, FASCI, Board Member, Association of Black Cardiologists
Zaneta Batchelor, Healthcare Lobbyist and Market Strategist, Larry J Overton & Associates
Mark A. Creager, MD, FAHA, Director, Heart and Vascular Center, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Anna Gundlach Huber Professor of Medicine, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth
Millicent Gorham, PhD, MBA, FAAN, Executive Director, National Black Nurses Association
Aaron Horne, MD, MBA, Board Member, Association of Black Cardiologists
Barbara Hutchinson, MD, PhD, FACC, President (2016-2018), Association of Black Cardiologists
Dan Jones, DPM, Podiatry Specialist, Comfort Podiatry Group
Bishop Jerry L. Maynard, PhD, Cathedral of Praise
Mary McGowan, MHRM, CEO, Women Heart: The National Coalition for Women with Heart Disease
Elizabeth Ofili, MD, MPH, FACC, Professor and Director Clinical Research Center, Morehouse School of Medicine
Sue Peschin, MHS, President and CEO, Alliance for Aging Research
John Romans, CEO, Biomedix
Felix Sogade, MD, FACC, FHRS, Chairman of the Board (2016-2018), Association of Black Cardiologists
Mary L. Yost, MBA, President, The Sage Group LLC
The ABC would like to thank the following sponsors for their unrestricted support of the Roundtable:
Cardiovascular Systems Inc. and Janssen Pharmaceuticals