Growth

Growth Initiatives

The growth of the specialty depends greatly on public awareness of vein disease. The Foundation is dedicated to interacting directly with the public to raise the patients’ level of engagement. The FVLD has established growth initiatives to give the public and the overall medical community access to important information about venous disease.

Patient Awareness

The Foundation recently funded a comprehensive Patient Awareness Campaign developed by the AVLS Public Education Committee, which utilizes television, public relations collateral materials, online advertising and social media to achieve goals set by the 2013-2016 AVLS Strategic Plan.

The campaign will provide timely information about venous disease through a variety of media channels. Dr. Robert Kistner has donated more than 100 episodes of his popular radio show from Hawaii to be used as podcasts, which will be distributed via social media along with relevant topical blog posts, articles and conversations. AVLS members can also use this content in their own social media efforts, expanding the reach of the message. Public relations will target health writers by sending them a copy of the Public Education Committee developed venous disease handbook, Healthy Veins…Healthy Legs, while regularly offering story ideas and content for their publications. Updates to the PBS produced AVLS venous disease documentary will be nationally distributed. Lastly, an online vein awareness screening will allow the public to easily identify their venous symptoms through digital imagery and receive meaningful information on their specific venous health concerns including referral information of physicians in their area.