Stopping Atrial Fibrillation is Big News: EP Lab Digest Patient Perspective Column
September 7, 2011
- Summary: Our September focus is on National Atrial Fibrillation Awareness Month, including US Senate passage of the Atrial Fibrillation Resolution and current afib awareness public service announcements.
- Reading time: 1–2 minutes
September 7, 2011
Dallas, TX — In our September Patient Perspective column in EP Lab Digest, we talk about how Stopping Atrial Fibrillation is Big News! The focus is on awareness-raising activities for National Atrial Fibrillation Awareness Month, and how atrial fibrillation even caught the attention of Capitol Hill with the recent passage of the Atrial Fibrillation Resolution by the US Senate (Senate Resolution 243). In addition, the AF resolution has 30 of the needed 100 co-sponsors in the US House of Representatives (House Resolution 295).
I am proud of the attention that afib has been receiving because it means that people will be diagnosed and treated for it. Once I was afib-free, I knew I couldn’t stand on the sidelines and watch others suffer and have strokes. I had to do something. That’s why I started StopAfib.org, a non-profit patient advocacy organization and site to provide information and support for those living with afib.
I knew that we needed to raise awareness so people could get diagnosed and treated before they had a stroke or two. So in 2007, I declared September as Atrial Fibrillation Month, and after celebrating it, got it registered in the official register, Chase’s Calendar of Events. Then in 2008, StopAfib.org joined with a number of professional and patient organizations and asked Congress to make it official. On September 11, 2009, the US Senate passed a resolution officially recognizing September as National Atrial Fibrillation Awareness Month.
This year is the biggest Afib Month yet. There are currently three public service announcements that raise awareness and prompt patients to ask questions and connect with their healthcare providers. One public service announcement features daytime TV star Susan Lucci, and another features former NBA player and general manager Jerry West explaining how he has lived with afib. And the Heart Rhythm Society has launched an “A-Fib Feels Like” public service announcement campaign. The article also discusses the upcoming Team AFib webinar for patients, care supporters, and medical professionals on developing effective afib care teams.
There are two ways to access the article:
- Online at Stopping Atrial Fibrillation is Big News! — EP Lab Digest, September, 2011
- Download the PDF below