Andrew Powell
A bill that would enhance screening and treatment for blood clots is ready for the Governor’s signature after it was unanimously passed by the Senate.
Jacksonville Republican Sen. Clay Yarborough presented the bill (SB 890) that creates the Emily Adkins Family Protection Act. The bill was substituted for its House bill companion (HB 1421), sponsored by Jacksonville Republican Rep. Dean Black.
Emily Adkins was a 23-year-old Floridian who died suddenly when she developed a blood clot. After her death, the Legislature created a first-in-the-nation blood clot and pulmonary embolism work group to study and make recommendations. This newest legislation is the result of those recommendations.
The bill requires training and protocols to assess and treat patients at risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE) when a patient is admitted to hospital with an emergency room or an ambulatory surgical center.
It also requires the Department of Health to contract with a nonprofit entity to establish and maintain a statewide VTE registry at no cost to the state. Each hospital with an emergency department would be required to report certain information to the registry.
Certified nursing assistants serving in a nursing home would be required to receive training on recognizing the signs and symptoms of VTE and techniques for providing an emergency response.
Assisted living facilities would be required to provide a detailed pamphlet to residents upon admission containing information on VTE, risk factors, and how residents can recognize the signs of VTE.
An amendment was adopted that inserted language from the House companion bill concerning collecting information on the race and ethnicity of those affected by blood clots, which Yarborough said was done to allow a more holistic view of how VTE’s are affecting Floridians and what groups are regularly impacted.
In closing, Yarborough thanked the stakeholder groups and health care professionals who offered insight and input on VTEs and also thanked Emily Adkins’ parents, Doug and Janet Adkins, and Emily’s brother, Douglas Adkins.
“It’s because of their tireless work and dedication that we’re at the point that we are today, and I just wanted to give them a very big thank you,” Yarborough said.
Yarborough added that the Adkins family had done an incredible amount of work and said that not only did the legislation mean a lot to the family personally, but their work will also go a long way in helping to extend the lives of Floridians.
