Blood clot awareness and prevention law awaits governor’s signature

A new Florida law may soon provide greater awareness and protection against dangerous blood clots, an under-recognized medical problem that kills an estimated 100,000 Americans each year.

The legislation is expected to be signed in the coming week by Gov. Ron DeSantis. The governor is not expected to veto the bill, however if he takes no action, the bill will automatically take effect on July 1.

The bill, the first of its kind in the United States, was spearheaded by a Nassau County couple who turned a personal tragedy into a measure that will save lives. The legislation, known as the Emily Adkins Family Protection Act, resulted from the 2022 death of 23-year-old Emily Adkins, who developed a pulmonary embolism — a blood clot in the lungs — after fracturing her ankle.

Her parents, Doug and Janet Adkins, worked tirelessly to bring attention to the high mortality rate associated with pulmonary embolism. Janet Adkins is a former Florida state legislator and is now in her second term as Nassau County Supervisor of Elections. Doug Adkins is executive director of Dayspring Village and Dayspring Senior Living in Hilliard.

The legislation requires hospitals and surgical centers to implement blood clot screening policies and staff training. It also creates a statewide blood clot database and ensures that assisted living staff receive training on the signs and symptoms of blood clots.

“Had Emily been the beneficiary of a screening, we believe she would be here today,” Doug Adkins says. “Her doctors would have identified her as being at high risk and they would have taken the appropriate protocols.”

Despite the pain of losing their daughter, who worked at Dayspring Village and Dayspring Senior Living, the couple knew they had to raise awareness.

“I’m a little bit angry that for many, many years this has been happening, and many families have lived through this tragedy that we suffer with every day,” Doug Adkins says. “Here we are in the United States, and we have no data [on pulmonary embolism incidence]. We have no idea how many people are affected by this. Both Janet and I decided we needed to try to get legislation.”

Dangerous blood clots are also known as venous thromboembolisms (VTE) or deep vein thrombosis (DVT). Deep vein thrombosis can occur in the leg, thigh or pelvis while pulmonary embolism (PE) occurs when a clot detaches and travels to the lungs. An estimated 900,000 case of VTEs occur each year in the United States. The condition is the leading cause of hospital death, according to the Agency for Health Care Administration. A 2024 AHCA report concluded the condition does not receive enough awareness in the public and health care arenas.

The dangerous condition can occur when there is a tendency for the blood to clot or slow. Major risk factors for blood clots are recent hospitalizations or surgery, cancer, immobilization, inflammatory conditions, certain medications, nursing home residency, travel and some genetic factors. The risk is also heightened during pregnancy.  

The Adkins family led efforts to pass a law in 2023 that established the Blood Clot and Pulmonary Embolism Policy workgroup in Florida. The BCPEP workgroup was charged with developing a risk surveillance system for the state and policy recommendations to improve standards of care, surveillance, detection, treatment and patient and family education relating to blood clots and pulmonary embolisms.

The 2025 legislation, introduced by Rep. Dean Black and sponsored in the Florida Senate by Sen. Clay Yarborough, follows up on the workgroup recommendations. The Florida legislature united in support of the Emily Adkins Family Protection Act, says Janet, who served for eight years in the Florida House. The Adkinses knew the ins and outs of Tallahassee and were prepared to work hard, she says. The couple founded an organization devoted to the issue called Emily’s Promise.

“You have to work the bill,” Janet Adkins says. “We made trips to Tallahassee and walked the halls and spoke with members and talked with committee staff. We asked people to cosponsor. If you can get lots of cosponsors on both sides of the aisle, then that creates momentum for the bill.”

The Adkinses say they were moved by the bipartisan support for the bill, which has 51 cosponsors. “In an era of division in politics, it was almost as if we were one again,” Doug Adkins says. “It was really a moment of unity."

The couple says they were stunned by how many people in Tallahassee responded to their proposed legislation by sharing personal stories of loved ones who suffered blood clots.

“Every time we walked out of the committee room someone was chasing after us and giving us a story,” Janet Adkins says.

While the incidence is higher in older adults, they heard many stories of pulmonary embolism and deep-vein thrombosis occurring in young people, she says. “Regardless of your age, you can be at risk.”

Blood clots can also occur weeks or months after surgery, bone fracture, childbirth and other higher-risk events, she says. Emily suffered cardiac arrest from the pulmonary embolism 37 days after she broke her ankle and eight days after her cast was removed.

“Emily was a person whose smile would light up a room,” Doug Adkins says. “She brought joy to family conversations. She had a bright future ahead of her in health care. She cared deeply about her community and her family, and she cared deeply about others. She was also someone who followed the rules. Had someone told her, ‘You’re at high risk of having a DVT; here’s what you need to do to protect yourself,’ she would have followed the rules.”

The Emily Adkins Family Protection Act can serve as a model for other states, said Leslie Lake, volunteer president of the National Blood Clot Alliance, a national advocacy organization.

“With the passing of this historic legislation, we move one step forward to protecting not only Floridians from blood clots but everyone in this country,” Lake said in a statement released after the bill’s passage in April.

Organizations in other states, at the urging of the National Blood Clot Alliance, are discussing potential legislation, Doug Adkins says. The Florida bill covers only a few of the recommendations from the workgroup — focusing on screening in specific health care settings and on data collection, he notes. But it’s a start.

“We are leaving, on the table, plenty for others to do,” he says. “There is lots to do. But we believe the screening in Florida will help, and more data and more research is always in the public’s best interest.

“There is an empty seat at our table,” he adds. “We don’t want any other family to have to walk in our shoes.”

Tips from StopTheClot:

Blood clots do not discriminate. They affect people of all ages, race and gender. One of the most important things you can do to prevent blood clots is to know if you are at risk. The risk factors blood clots include:

• Hospitalization for illness or surgery
• Major surgery, particularly of the pelvis, abdomen, hip, knee
• Severe trauma, such as a car accident
• Injury to a vein that may have been caused by a broken bone or severe muscle injury
• Hip or knee replacement surgery
• Cancer and cancer treatments
• Use of birth control methods that contain estrogen, such as the pill, patch or ring
• Pregnancy, which includes the six weeks after the baby is born
• The use of hormone therapy, which contains estrogen
• A family history of blood clots
• Overweight
• Confinement to bed or wheelchair
• Sitting too long, especially with legs crossed
• Smoking
• Age 55 or older
• Long-term diseases such as heart and lung conditions, or diabetes

Recognize Signs and Symptoms of Blood Clots

Symptoms of a Blood Clot in the Leg or Arm (Deep Vein Thrombosis or DVT):

• Swelling
• Pain or tenderness not caused by injury
• Skin that is warm to the touch
• Redness or discoloration of the skin

If you have these signs or symptoms, alert your doctor as soon as possible.

Symptoms of a Blood Clot in the Lung (Pulmonary Embolism or PE):

• Difficulty breathing
• Chest pain that worsens with a deep breath or lying down
• Coughing, or coughing up blood
• Faster than normal or irregular heartbeat