PAD Collaborative

Many adults in the U.S. are suffering from undetected or uncontrolled peripheral artery disease, PAD. Awareness of the risks of PAD, including reduced quality of life, amputation, heart disease, stroke and death, is low.

The PAD Collaborative unites organizations and experts committed to advancing the PAD National Action Plan with the goal to increase public awareness and understanding of PAD, prevent complications, address health barriers and improve quality of life for people living with the disease.

One strategy the PAD Collaborative has prioritized in executing the National Action Plan is the creation of a "heat map" that illustrates relative rates of lower limb amputation, a serious complication of PAD, geographically and by Congressional district. This map is intended to be a tool to build awareness and for decision-makers to target solutions to areas of highest need.

Click to View Interactive Heat-Map.

About the Data: The data used to create this heat map is publicly available 2017 and 2018 Medicare and US Census Bureau data. Congressional districts are represented as those current as of 2023, therefore a few districts do not match those for the data years. As a result, white areas are shown on the map for those without an associated 2017 or 2018 amputation rate. Amputation rate is defined as lower limb amputations per 100,000 Medicare beneficiaries per year.

Useful Links: In order to provide context for the information displayed on the map, the user may consider accessing the following links.

To search for a Congressional district by zip code, access Find Your Representative.

For demographic information statistics per Congressional District, My Congressional District.

The long-term success of the PAD National Action Plan depends on the collaboration and coordination of many groups and health care champions committed to conquering this disease. More than a dozen organizations and hundreds of volunteers have already raised their hand to work together to advance the National Action Plan.

Leadership

Dr. Amy Pollak and Dr. Marc Bonaca serve as the current chair and vice chair of the Collaborative. They, together with a Steering Group comprised of representatives from seven organizations are responsible for guiding the decision-making process and inspiring action of Collaborative members ensuring National Action Plan implementation is moving forward.

Six Goal Committees, each led by volunteer committee cochairs actively work on implementation strategies outlined in the National Action Plan.

PAD Collaborative membership is open to both organizational and individual participation. Members agree to work together to have a coordinated approach to implementing the action items and tactics identified in the National Action Plan.

Goal 1 Leads: Natalie Evans, MD; Ayanna Bucker, MD

Reach people with PAD and those at risk for PAD by improving public awareness of PAD symptoms and diagnosis.

Resources:

PAD Collaborative members have selected resources from each organization that pertain to this goal area. This is not an exhaustive list. New resources will be added as they are curated and developed by the PAD Collaborative.

• American Heart Association
  • PAD Patient Resources
• American Podiatric Medical Association
  • Today's Podiatrist Talks About PAD (Digital Brochure)
  • Diabetes: A Path to Poor Circulation? (Newsletter)
  • Podiatrists: First Responders for Vascular Disease (Newsletter)
  • How to spot the signs of Vascular Disease (Video)
• CDC/Million Hearts
  • Patient Resource Page
• NHLBI
  • Brochure: Facts About PAD
  • Brochure: Facts About PAD for African Americans
  • Brochure: Facts About PAD for Hispanics/Latinos
  • Brochure: Datos Sobre la EAP Para Hispanos/Latinos
• Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions
  • SCAI PAD Patient Resource Center
• Society of Interventional Radiology
  • Patient Centered Resource Page
• Society for Vascular Medicine
  • Vascular Disease Patient Information Page: Peripheral artery disease - Elizabeth V Ratchford, Natalie S Evans, 2014 (sagepub.com)
• Vascular Cures
  • Patient Resource Page
• WomenHeart
  • Video: Let’s Talk about PAD English | Spanish
  • PAD Fact Sheet (PDF): English | Spanish

Goal 2 Leads: Lola Coke, PhD, ACNS-BC and Gregory Piazza, MD

Enhance professional education for multidisciplinary health care professionals who care for people with PAD.

Resources:

PAD Collaborative members have selected resources from each organization that pertain to this goal area. This is not an exhaustive list. New resources will be added as they are curated and developed by the PAD Collaborative.

• American Heart Association
  • PAD Webinars and Podcasts
• AACVPR
  • PAD Exercise Training Toolkit
• Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions
  • CLI/CLTI Workshop Series
  • Disparities in Peripheral Vascular Care: An Ongoing Dilemma
  • SCAI PAD Diagnosis and Treatment Resource Center
• Society for Vascular Nursing
  • Clinician Resources Web Page
• Society for Vascular Medicine
  • CAD/PAD Educational Series | Society for Vascular Medicine
  • PAD for Vascular Specialists: From the Latest Advances to Clinical Care (medscapre.org)
  • SVM Medscape Education Collaborative | Society for Vascular Medicine
• Society of Interventional Radiology
  •  Arterial Guidelines
• Vascular Cures
  • PAD/CAD Learning Hub

Goal 3 Leads: Kim Smolderen, PhD; Carlos Mena, MD

Activate health care systems to provide enhanced programs for the detection and treatment of PAD patients, with a focus on understanding and addressing patient-centered outcomes.

Resources:

PAD Collaborative members have selected resources from each organization that pertain to this goal area. This is not an exhaustive list. New resources will be added as they are curated and developed by the PAD Collaborative.

Society of Interventional Radiology
• Article: Preventing PAD: IRs can play key role in reducing limb amputations
• Article: On the cutting edge of wound care (end-stage PAD)
• JVIR: Real-World Safety Analysis of Paclitaxel Devices Used for the Treatment of Peripheral Artery Disease
• JVIR: Predictors for Nonhome Patient Discharge following Lower Extremity Arterial Interventions
• JVIR: A Real-Time Blood Flow Measurement Device for Patients with Peripheral Artery Disease

Goal 4 Leads: J. Antonio Gutierrez, MD, MHS and Dyane Tower, DPM, MPH

Reduce the rates of nontraumatic lower extremity amputations related to PAD through public outcome reporting and public health interventions.

Resources:

PAD Collaborative members have selected resources from each organization that pertain to this goal area. This is not an exhaustive list. New resources will be added as they are curated and developed by the PAD Collaborative.

• CDC/Million Hearts
  • Cardiac Rehabilitation Change Package

Goal 5 Leads: Peter Henke, M; Diane Reid, MD; Olamide Alabi, MD

Increase and sustain research to better understand prevention, diagnosis and treatment of PAD.

Resources:

PAD Collaborative members have selected resources from each organization that pertain to this goal area. This is not an exhaustive list. New resources will be added as they are curated and developed by the PAD Collaborative.

• Case-Based CLTI Webinar Series and more
• PAD Collaborative Research Forum
• Putting Data Into Practice: The BEST-CLI Trial
• Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions
  • Management of Peripheral Arterial Disease: Lifestyle Modifications and Medical Therapies
  • Position Statement on Competencies for Endovascular Specialists Providing CLTI Care
• VIVA
  • Case-Based CLTI Webinar Series
  • Putting Data Into Practice: The BEST-CLI Trial

Goal 6 Leads: Aaron Aday, MD; Osama Ibrahim, MD

Coordinate PAD advocacy efforts to shape national policy and improve health outcomes.

Resources:

PAD Collaborative members have selected resources from each organization that pertain to this goal area. This is not an exhaustive list. New resources will be added as they are curated and developed by the PAD Collaborative.

• American Heart Association
  • PAD Fact Sheet PDF

The long-term success of the PAD National Action Plan depends on the collaboration and coordination of many groups and health care champions committed to conquering this disease. More than a dozen organizations and hundreds of volunteers have already raised their hand to work together to advance the National Action Plan.

For more information about joining a PAD Collaborative: Committee Membership Guide (PDF)