Stay in Circulation Week
Customizable Newsletter Article
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The article template provided here is written for your organization to promote any Stay in Circulation Week activities you have planned. You may choose to use the sample article provided below, or select paragraphs and sections that are most relevant to your publication and audience. Consider sending articles to local employers for inclusion in an employee newsletter, to hospitals or other health care facilities, and to any other community partners with whom you work.
Take Steps to Stay in Circulation: Learn About P.A.D.
Our legs are critical to maintaining active and independent lifestyles, however, most of us take our leg health for granted. Unfortunately, 8 to 12 million Americans over age 50 are living with a disease that affects their legs and raises their risk of heart attack and stroke. It’s called peripheral arterial disease, or P.A.D.
P.A.D. develops when leg arteries become clogged with plaque—fatty deposits that limit blood flow to the legs. Just like clogged arteries in the heart, clogged arteries in the legs raises the risk of heart attack and stroke. P.A.D. is caused by the same risk factors that lead to heart disease.
[Suggested call-out] P.A.D. raises the risk of heart attack and stroke.
P.A.D. is a common and treatable disease that is on the rise among midlife and older Americans. However, it is still largely unknown, often unrecognized, and does not always present symptoms. People who do experience symptoms, such as pain or cramping in the legs, often do not report them, believing they are a natural part of aging or due to another cause. Without timely detection and treatment, P.A.D. can lower the quality of life and reduce mobility by making walking difficult, or worse, increase the risk of heart attack, stroke, leg amputation, and even death.
People who are at risk for P.A.D. include anyone over the age of 50, especially African Americans; those who smoke or who have smoked; and those who have diabetes, high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, or a personal or family history of vascular disease, heart attack, or stroke.
[Insert Organization name] is planning a series of events during the week of September [insert specific dates]—Stay in Circulation Week—in [insert city/town name] to inform community members and engage them in activities to learn about P.A.D. and the steps they can take to reduce their risk. These events are part of a national effort--Stay in Circulation: Take Steps to Learn About P.A.D. This national public awareness campaign seeks to increase awareness about P.A.D. and its association with other cardiovascular diseases among the public and health care providers. Stay in Circulation is sponsored by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, in cooperation with the P.A.D. Coalition.
[Insert Organization name] is excited to help the people of our community take steps to learn about P.A.D. to stay active and healthy. You can learn more about P.A.D., including how you can reduce your risk, by attending any of these local Stay in Circulation events. [Insert description of the week’s events.] Learning about P.A.D. can help you stay active and independent so that you can continue to enjoy life. Visit www.aboutpad.org for more information.
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