The Amputee Coalition announced last week that it’s joining the Amputation Prevention Alliance (APA). Launched last September by the American Diabetes Association, the APA is designed to address the urgent public health challenge of preventable amputation. Complications from diabetes, including peripheral artery disease, account for roughly half of all amputations in the United States, and this risk is especially pronounced among communities historically underserved by healthcare in the United States.
Ensuring that every American has access to quality care, as well as the knowledge and resources to minimize the risk of diabetes-related amputations, is critical to fulfilling the mission of the Amputee Coalition, which is in part to “promote limb loss prevention.” Through policy change advocacy, raising awareness, and community empowerment, the Amputee Coalition will work with the APA to pursue all avenues toward reducing the number of Americans who lose a limb due to diabetes complications each year.
Prominent partners in the APA include the American Heart Association, American Society of Podiatric Surgeons, Society for Vascular Surgery, Cardiovascular Coalition, and Association of Diabetes Care and Education Specialists. For a complete list of APA members, click here.
The Amputee Coalition’s chief programs officer, Ashlie White, will lead the organization’s participation in APA. For more information, visit the APA’s home page or the news page at the Amputee Coalition.
