Press Releases

A recording of the virtual event can be found here.

A digital copy of the Blood Clot Awareness, Action, and Advocacy: The Toolkit can be found here.

Full text of the Charles Rochester Blood Clot Prevention and Treatment Act can be found here. A one-pager of the bill can be found here. 

WASHINGTON – Today, during Blood Clot Awareness Month, Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.) unveiled a comprehensive toolkit titled “Blood Clot Awareness, Action, and Advocacy: The Toolkit.” This document contains information on blood clots, Blunt Rochester’s bipartisan work in Congress to spread awareness of blood clots, and ways the public can advocate for themselves and others at the doctor’s office and online. Blunt Rochester was joined for the announcement by Congressman Paul Tonko (D-N.Y.) as well as representatives from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the National Blood Clot Alliance, ChristianaCare, and the Delaware Chapter of the American Heart Association. 

In September 2023, alongside Dr. Larry Bucshon (R-IN), Rep. Paul Tonko (D-N.Y.), and Dr. Michael Burgess (R-Texas), Blunt Rochester introduced the bipartisan Charles Rochester Blood Clot Prevention and Treatment Act, H.R. 5699, in honor of her late husband who died from blood clots. That legislation would direct the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to launch a national campaign to increase public awareness of blood clot signs and symptoms and would establish an advisory committee to help streamline effective diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of blood clots and pulmonary embolisms.

“This year marks 10 years since I lost the love of my life, Charles, to blood clots. Charles was brilliant, kind, humble, and healthy. He was a vegetarian who worked out every day and his death was a shock - an example of how blood clots can affect anyone,” said Rep. Blunt Rochester (D-Del.).

“This toolkit is intended to help individuals recognize the signs and symptoms of blood clots and inspire action and advocacy on this serious health concern. Blood clots are treatable when caught, but too often there is a lack of information on how to properly get treatment – this is especially true for patients of color, seniors, and cancer survivors. I will continue my bipartisan efforts in Congress to get the Charles Rochester Blood Clot Prevention and Treatment Act over the finish line so we can strengthen awareness on this issue and save lives.” continued Rep. Blunt Rochester (D-Del.).

“This issue came to my attention thanks to the dedication and advocacy of the family of Jennifer Luft, a constituent who lost her life in 2022 due to her condition of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE) being misdiagnosed. These deadly but preventable blood clots take lives every day, but raising awareness about the signs can make all the difference. I’m proud to join my friend and colleague, Congresswoman Blunt Rochester, in introducing this legislation that honors the memory of her late husband and will save lives,” said Rep. Paul Tonko (D-N.Y.)

"Blood clots can affect anyone, but they are preventable and can be treated if discovered early. It’s important that Americans know how to protect themselves from blood clots, and how to recognize the signs and symptoms of blood clots so they know when to seek care,” said Dr. Deron Burton, Director, Division of Blood Disorders and Public Health Genomics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

“I think that this initiative is so important because, as a physician who treats clot in all of its forms on a daily basis, the sooner you start treating it the better the results for the patient. Awareness of the signs of clot, whether in the leg, arm, or lungs, can shorten the time to initiation of treatment, which is so important. In recent years we’ve had great advancements in understanding these diseases and also in the techniques we have to take action and treat them effectively and safely,” said Dr. Assaf Graif, Interventional Radiology, Vascular Interventional Radiology, ChristianaCare

“As the nation’s leading patient advocacy organization focused on the prevention, early diagnosis, and treatment of life-threatening blood clots such as deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism, the National Blood Clot Alliance “NBCA” unequivocally supports the passage of the Charles Rochester Blood Clot Prevention and Treatment Act. As a pulmonary embolism survivor, and as the president of NBCA, I have witnessed first-hand the unnecessary death and devastation caused by blood clots. NBCA calls on Congress to protect the American public from this silent killer by supporting the Charles Rochester Blood Clot Prevention and Treatment Act. Together, we can #StoptheClot,” said Leslie Lake, President, National Blood Clot Alliance

“When blood clots reach the heart or brain, the resulting heart attack or stroke can be deadly. Many of these deaths can be prevented through appropriate prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. As the executive volunteer chair for the American Heart Association’s Delaware Go Red for Women movement, I share Congresswoman Blunt Rochester’s commitment to raising awareness and saving lives,” said Rosemary Wurster, DNP, RN, MPH, NEA-BC, Senior Vice President of Patient Care Services and Chief Nurse Executive, Bayhealth Medical Center, Executive volunteer chair of the 2024 American Heart Association Delaware Go Red for Women movement

“The majority of strokes are from blood clots to the brain. What we do know is that stroke is around 80% preventable with management of risk factors such as: high blood pressure, high cholesterol, an irregular heart rhythm known as atrial fibrillation, and smoking to name a few. As the inaugural chair and current member of the Delaware Stroke System of Care Committee, I fully support blood clot awareness and prevention and I thank Congresswoman Blunt Rochester for her leadership in this area,” said Kimberly Holmes MSN, APRN, ACNS-BC, PCCN-K, Clinical Nurse Specialist, Primary Stroke Program Coordinator Kent & Sussex Campuses Bayhealth Medical Center, Former American Heart Association DE Board President

One American dies of a blood clot every six minutes and one in four pulmonary embolisms victims die suddenly and without warning. Timely diagnosis of blood clots is crucial in preventing PE, but far too few Americans recognize the risk factors, understand the symptoms of blood clots, or are aware of available treatment options. 

The Charles Rochester Blood Clot Prevention and Treatment Act would: 

1. Increase public awareness of blood clot signs and symptoms and educate health care providers on the blood clot signs and symptoms by requiring the CDC to conduct a nationwide public awareness campaign;
2. Establish an advisory committee that will provide advice, information, and recommendations to the Secretary of HHS regarding programs, policies, and research to promote effective diagnosis, treatment and prevention of blood clots and pulmonary embolisms; 
3. Improve our understanding of who and how many Americans are impacted by blood clots by requiring the CDC to conduct a study on novel ways of detecting and monitoring blood clots at the population level.

The Charles Rochester Blood Clot Prevention and Treatment Act is supported by Anticoagulation Forum, North American Thrombosis Forum, CHEST, National Blood Clot Alliance, International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis, American Heart Association, Society of Interventional Radiology, The PERT Consortium™, Temple University Health System/Temple Lung Center, American Thrombosis and Hemostasis Network, Minority Health Institute, Coalition for National Trauma Research (CNTR), National Health Council, National Bleeding Disorders Foundation, International Society for Laboratory Hematology, Association of Black Cardiologists, American College of Cardiology, Foundation for Women and Girls with Blood Disorders, American Venous Forum, SANO Health ARM.

###