Raise Your Voice to Raise Blood Clot Awareness During Blood Clot Awareness Month 2018

March is Blood Clot Awareness Month (BCAM), which is perhaps one of the most important times of the year for the National Blood Clot Alliance, because it is so important, in so many ways, to the patients, caregivers, healthcare professionals, and advocates we serve. Not only does BCAM provide an opportunity to unite as a community to share resources and stories, it also provides a crucial opportunity to share life-saving information about blood clots on a large and more far-reaching scale.

Blood clots are a major public health concern. Sadly, most people do not know they could be at risk, or they do not know the signs and symptoms of blood clots. Blood clots do not discriminate. They can and do affect everyone: From children to senior citizens, professional athletes to mothers, women and men. No one is immune. Each year, more people lose their lives to blood clots than AIDS, breast cancer, and motor vehicle accidents combined. Yet, despite these facts, study after study has shown that fewer than one in four people have any recognition of blood clots or their signs and symptoms. Without this knowledge, people may not receive help until it is too late. Blood clots can be life-threatening, but they can be prevented in many cases, simply by sharing essential information with the people you know.

BCAM is the perfect time to highlight and share essential information about blood clot risks, signs and symptoms, and prevention. During BCAM 2018, and in connection with our Stop the Clot, Spread the Word™ campaign, NBCA will be sharing information across the country about blood clots, including a feature article that will appear in newspapers nationwide, as well as a radio spot about blood clot risks and signs and symptoms that will be broadcast across the country. We’ll also be running Web banners and implementing other digital marketing tools to drive people to the important public health information housed at our Stop the Clot, Spread the Word™ campaign portal. These efforts will help us to reach tens of millions of people with potentially life-saving information about blood clots.

BCAM also provides an opportunity for you to lend your voice to these efforts and make a difference, by helping to increase public awareness about blood clots. In a digital world that is packed with a never-ending chorus of voices, BCAM carves out a special place for conversations and the exchange of information that can undoubtedly raise awareness about the impact of blood clots, and in turn produce life-saving results. Join NBCA this March and Raise Your Voice to Raise Blood Clot Awareness.

An overview of how you can get involved in the activities NBCA has planned for BCAM appears below. Please contact our Communications Department at info@stoptheclot.org if you have any questions or comments about Blood Clot Awareness Month 2018.

BCAM: A Brief History

Recognized each March, BCAM is an observance conceived in a bipartisan manner through the sponsorship efforts of former Congresswoman Lois Capps (D-CA) and Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), each of whom have experienced the tragedy of blood clots: Rep. Capps’ husband, former Rep. Walter Capps, died of a PE in 2006. Rep. McMorris Rodgers’ dear friend and mentor, former Rep. Jennifer Dunn, passed away suddenly from a PE in 2007.

BCAM 2018 Summary: Raise Your Voice to Raise Blood Clot Awareness

Share to Stop the Clot® — In recognition of BCAM 2018, NBCA is thrilled to unveil a new social sharing initiative called Share to Stop the Clot. Sign up in just three simple steps and start sharing the life-saving information that matters most. When you join this free program, you will receive exclusive access to NBCA’s social media content, which you can then share with your friends, family, and social networks. Also, be added to Social Sharing Opportunity E-mail Alerts, and be among the first people to receive updates about new content to share stemming from NBCA’s new programs and services. Help us save lives and Share to Stop the Clot.

Thematic Social Posts — During BCAM, we also will be highlighting several important themes, or interest areas, pertaining to blood clots. We will be presenting content in digital format via our social media networks, primarily in the form of new graphics that convey key information. The content will be derived from some of our signature programs – such as our Stop the Clot, Spread the Word™ campaign and Women and Blood Clots – as well as from other crucial information pertaining to basic blood clot facts and statistics. More detail about these themes is outlined below.

Facebook Reaction Polls — New this year for BCAM, we will be hosting weekly Facebook Reaction Polls, where you will have a chance to vote – or share your opinion – about the topics and issues that matter most to you. This March, we invite you to Raise Your Voice to Raise Blood Clot Awareness.

Facebook Profile Frame — Show your support for NBCA and BCAM now through the end of March with our special Facebook profile frame.

Five Weeks of Thematic Social Posts During BCAM

NBCA also will be sharing new and creative content each week of Blood Clot Awareness Month based on important educational and clinical themes, including:

Week 1 (March 1-2) — BCAM Kick-Off Week: Learn More About How You Can Get Involved

Week 2 (March 5-9) — Know Your Risk for Blood Clots

Week 3 (March 12-16) — Recognize Blood Clot Signs and Symptoms

Week 4 (March 19-23) — Helping You Handle a Blood Clot Diagnosis: Lifestyle and Recovery

Week 5 (March 26-30) — Take Important Steps to Help Prevent Blood Clots

More BCAM Events

March 1 – March 31: Climb for Clots — Join Team Stop the Clot® during March for this virtual event as we attempt to climb 100,000 flights for the 100,000 plus lives that are lost each year due to blood clots. Details and registration.

March 4: Walk to Stop the Clot in Memory of Ali Senser — Join Team Stop the Clot in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida as we walk to remember Ali Senser. Details and registration.

March 15, from 2:00 to 3:00 pm Eastern: NBCA-Hosted Webinar for CDC’s Division of Blood Disorders — This CDC webinar — Perioperative Venous Thromboembolism: Risk Assessment and Risk-Stratified Prophylaxis for Surgical Patients — is being presented by Michael Cassidy, MD, Assistant Professor of Surgery, Boston University School of Medicine. Details and registration.

March 31: Anna Frutiger Stop the Clot 5K Color Run – Join Team Stop the Clot in Gambier, Ohio as we run to remember Anna Frutiger. Details and Registration.

Raise Your Voice: How You Can Get Involved

There is something for everyone this March, including countless opportunities to share essential information about blood clots. Here are just a few ways that you can participate:

Share to Stop the Clot® — Sign up for NBCA’s new social sharing initiative and start sharing life-saving information today. By signing up, you’ll gain access to information that can easily be shared on your own social media channels, and you will be among the first to receive new information about NBCA’s programs and services. Sign up here.

Get Social — If you haven’t already, connect with NBCA on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest. Now, it’s easier than ever to raise your voice and raise awareness. Share our daily posts, created especially for BCAM 2018, and participate in our new Reaction Polls on Facebook.

Add our special BCAM profile frame to your profile photo. It’s easy to do. Go here to get yours, or visit our Facebook Page.

Don’t forget to use one or more of our BCAM hashtags when you post on social media: #stoptheclot #BCAM #raiseyourvoice #raiseawareness #sharetostoptheclot.

You can also join our peer-to-peer online discussion community, powered by Inspire, to share information and find peer support online.

Join our Thunderclap

You can raise your voice by joining NBCA’s BCAM Thunderclap message, which will be sent out across Facebook and Twitter later this month. Like any message, the more individuals who come together to share it, the better the message is heard. Sign up here – it’s free and safe to join – and share it with your social media networks, family and friends. Together, we can make sure our voices are heard to share this important message. Join here: NBCA’s 2018 BCAM Thunderclap

Share Your Story with NBCA

You can submit your story for publication on our website. Learn more about submitting your story to NBCA here: Guidelines for Website Patient Stories

Raise Awareness: Tools to Help You Stop the Clot®

In addition to our new Share to Stop the Clot sharing initiative, which will remain on our website indefinitely, NBCA has several everlasting assets that you can share with your family and friends to help educate them about blood clots. With your help, we can Stop the Clot and help to save lives.

Share Our Widely Recognized Stop the Clot, Spread the Word™ Educational Tools –NBCA’s widely public awareness campaign — called Stop the Clot, Spread the Word™—stems from NBCA’s five-year cooperative agreement or collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, involves a dynamic online or digital media campaign that reaches tens of millions of people each year with information about blood clot risks and blood clot signs and symptoms. You’ll find great information that you can download and share at our Stop the Clot, Spread the Word™ site, including:

Share Important Information about Women and Blood Clot Risks — Make sure all of the women you know are aware about blood clot risks with our Women & Blood Clots pro gram. You’ll find great content and videos at the links below to help women understand the blood clot risks connected to several important life stages most women face, including:

Share Important Information from NBCA’s Website — Check out some of the resources on our website – www.stoptheclot.org – that you can share with others:

Please contact the National Blood Clot Alliance Communications Department via email at info@stoptheclot.org if you have any questions or comments about Blood Clot Awareness Month 2018.