The Society of Vascular Surgeons (SVS) assembles 4000 surgeons worldwide. This organization is launching one of its largest projects to date: The Highway to Health campaign. This program will educate people about symptoms and risk factors associated with vascular disease and encourage them to start conversations with their doctors about including a vascular surgeon in their care team. Through this program, SVS wants to normalize vascular surgeons coming in early during medical situations so that more prevention happens than treatment.“We hope to educate the public about the signs and symptoms of developing vascular diseases. We can institute simple early intervention methods in the beginning stage of a disease before major complications happen,” said Dr. Yazan Duwari, SVS member and chief of vascular surgery at Emory University.The Highway to Health Campaign began in December 2024. This three-year initiative will provide tools and resources to inform the general public about vascular diseases. Survey results on the perception of vascular disease sparked the SVS to do this project. The material revealed that Nearly 1 in 3 Americans have not heard of any of the most common vascular diseases, like peripheral and carotid artery disease. The results also indicated that more than 8 in 10 people are not familiar with the role of vascular surgeons. A vascular surgeon is a medical professional that focuses on the body’s circulation system. Their main concern is how well blood flows to all parts of their body. They usually step in when situations are in a terrible stage. The campaign will close the public’s knowledge gaps and make vascular surgeons feel less severe and accessible.“It is a challenge to not sound too scary for patients. Our goal as vascular surgeons is to avoid surgical procedures interrupting the patient’s lifestyle as much as possible,” said Dr. Duwari.Photo Courtesy of Vascular.org The Strong Vessel Score is the most informative piece in collecting resources from the Highway to Health campaign. The strong vessel score is a tool the SVS created to determine if people are at risk for vascular disease. It is a checklist of five items that tell where one stands and if they should get checked out. The checklist includes being 65 and older, having diabetes, having high blood pressure, having high cholesterol, and using tobacco products. Having two or more items means being at high risk of getting a vascular disease. Dr. Willaim Shutze is the secretary for the SVS. He explains that the blood vessels wear and tear as we age. Eventually, we get one of the items on the checklist, but the material in the Highway to Health campaign will allow people to get ahead of the problem before it grows.“We are trying to fill a gap and empower our patients to have a better way to do their assessments. They can go into their primary care provider already armed with this information,” said Dr. Shutze.“The strong vessel score will allow people to ask their primary care provider if they should see a vascular specialist. This gives people the chance to get in front of the problem instead of it getting in front of them,” said Dr. Shutze.The Highway to Health initiative is the SVS’s biggest project. It is the organization’s first interaction with the community at this significant level. Other activities SVS has previously done are advocating for healthcare access for everyone and supporting smaller clinics and hospitals. Dr. Duwayri says smaller clinics and surgery centers close due to financial constraints. These constraints are caused by insurance not covering every vascular issue. When these situations happen, the sick and medical professionals suffer.“We advocate for insurance coverage of various interventions. These are necessary to prevent small medical centers from closing because of financial pressures. Ensuring that all healthcare facilities, regardless of size, can exist so they can provide the care needed for the patients close to them,” said Dr. Duwayri.The Highway to Health initiative is designed for people to become more informed on vascular disease. The more informed everyone is, the more preventative stories can happen. What is next for SVS and the program is encouraging local surgeons to share the campaign with their patients. In the Fall, SVS will strategize how to incorporate its message to health systems and hospital leaders so they understand the importance of early detection of vascular disease.  The SVS believes the Highway to Health campaign can be the first step toward changing how the public deals with vascular disease.  The post Vascular Surgeons Launch Highway to Health Campaign to Raise Awareness appeared first on The Atlanta Voice.