Drew Dixon
A proposed House bill that would establish a statewide tracking and treatment registry for blood clots in Florida is closer to becoming law.
In a hearing before the House Professions and Programs Subcommittee, testimony became emotional as the measure’s sponsor, Jacksonville Republican Rep. Dean Black, detailed why the state needs to approve the bill (HB 1421).
“Nowhere on earth is there any central registry, no concerted study for academia of the field of medicine, to learn how we can improve on this,” Black said. “You (House members on the subcommittee) will start in motion something that exists nowhere in this nation. … You will save lives year after year.”
The subcommittee voted unanimously to approve the bill, which has three more stops before reaching the floor.
Black has named the bill the “Emily Adkins Family Protection Act.” The measure would reflect recommendations by the Blood Clot and Pulmonary Embolism Policy Workgroup that was established as a result of the Emily Adkins Prevention Act enacted by the Legislature in 2023.
That panel concluded that the state should establish a statewide registry for blood clots, deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism reports within the Department of Health. The proposed registry would serve as a catalog to keep data on demographics such as age, gender and ZIP codes of Floridians who are suffering from blood clots who live independently or in assisted care facilities.
The measures are named after Emily Adkins, who died at the age of 23 following a blood clot that resulted from a broken ankle in 2023.
Adkins’ mother, Janet Adkins, a former state Representative, spoke at the committee hearing Thursday and often wiped away tears as she urged the passing of the measure.
“By lending your name to this bill, you’re making a difference,” she said.
Doug Adkins, Emily’s father, also addressed the committee.
“This is preventable,” said Doug Adkins, who owns two assisted living facilities in Florida.
“If we can get the frontline staff to simply identify when you’ve got a serious problem emerging, we’re going to save lives. The rest of the country is watching what Florida does. They’re all keenly aware of this blood clot working report and I can tell you this legislation is the first in the nation that will take the step to make sure we’re preserving lives.”
The legislation next heads to the House Government Operations Subcommittee.
A similar bill is winding through the Senate. Sen. Clay Yarborough, a Jacksonville Republican, is sponsoring a virtually identical measure (SB 890) to the House bill.
