Rep. Hillary Scholten and the National Blood Clot Alliance Award Corewell Health Butterworth Hospital as a VTE Center of Excellence

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., June 26, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- On June 24, 2024, Rep. Hillary Scholten (MI-03) joined members of the National Blood Clot Alliance "NBCA" (www.stoptheclot.org) to present NBCA's inaugural Venous Thromboembolism (VTE) Center of Excellence (COE) award to Corewell Health Grand Rapids Hospitals – Butterworth Hospital. This award recognizes the hospital's outstanding commitment to providing the highest standard of care, patient education, and follow-up treatment for VTE patients.

Rep. Scholten stated, "Our friends, families, neighbors, and the wider community can trust the commitment to excellence demonstrated by Corewell's clinicians.  These incredible providers ensure that all patients, not just some, will receive the highest standard of care when being diagnosed and treated for VTE.  I was delighted to submit a FY25 appropriations request to fund a nationwide public awareness campaign and to train healthcare providers to recognize the symptoms of blood clots. West Michigan is leading the way in addressing this public health crisis, setting a model for both the Great Lakes State and our nation."

Dr. Michael Knox, MD, FACR, and Co-Director of the Corewell PERT Program, accepted the award on behalf of Corewell. He stated, "I am honored to accept this award on behalf of my team and thank NBCA for this distinction. We appreciate Rep. Scholten's acknowledgement of the important work we are doing. Tackling this public health crisis will take all of us working together -- hospitals, clinicians, patients, and Members of Congress."

Justin Crockett, NBCA Board Member and Chair of the NBCA VTE COE Committee, added, "Development of this VTE COE designation has been a long journey. We are very proud to present this award and to start reducing the incidence and mortality of VTE, which claims the lives of 100,000 people each year from all age groups and walks of life. We are especially grateful for Congresswoman Scholten's support and in recognizing the toll VTE takes on both the citizens of Michigan and the entire nation. We also thank her for supporting NBCA's $5 million federal appropriations request directing funding to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Division of Blood Disorders and Genomics for a national VTE education, awareness, and prevention program for both the public and clinicians."

VTE (venous blood clots) claims the lives of 100,000 Americans each year while impacting another 900,000 individuals. It is the third leading cause of cardiovascular death and the second cause of sudden unexpected death. It kills more people each year than HIV/AIDS, breast cancer and motor vehicle accidents combined. Nearly half of all VTE cases occur in a hospital or post-hospital setting, yet, according to the CDC, 70% of these cases are preventable.  It is estimated that the annual cost to the US healthcare system is $10 billion per annum.

About the National Blood Clot Alliance

The National Blood Clot Alliance, established in 2003, is the nation's leading nonprofit, patient advocacy organization dedicated to advancing the prevention, early diagnosis, and successful treatment of life-threatening blood clots, such as deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE), DVT +PE=VTE. Each year NBCA provides blood clot information, resources, and support to more than 3 million people. For more information about NBCA please contact [email protected] or visit www.stoptheclot.org.

About Corewell Health™

People are at the heart of everything we do, and the inspiration for our legacy of outstanding outcomes, innovation, strong community partnerships, philanthropy and transparency. Corewell Health is a not-for-profit health system that provides health care and coverage with an exceptional team of 65,000+ dedicated people—including more than 12,000 physicians and advanced practice providers and more than 15,500 nurses providing care and services in 21 hospitals, 300+ outpatient locations and several post-acute facilities—and Priority Health, a provider-sponsored health plan serving more than 1.3 million members. Through experience and collaboration, we are reimagining a better, more equitable model of health and wellness. For more information, visit www.corewellhealth.org.

About Rep. Hillary Scholten:

Congresswoman Hillary J. Scholten is honored to serve the people of Michigan's Third Congressional District, a diverse district that is anchored by the urban centers of Grand Rapids, Muskegon, and Grand Haven, and includes suburbs, farmland, and miles of beautiful Lake Michigan shoreline.

Congresswoman Scholten is a fourth-generation West Michigander.  For more information visit www.hillaryscholten.com.

SOURCE National Blood Clot Alliance