AOA Partnerships

The AOA joins the Access to Benefits Coalition (ABC) in raising awareness of the new Medicare prescription drug benefit among low-income Medicare recipients. Research indicates that low-income individuals and families are more likely to have a chronic illness. ABC’s goal is to help 5.5 million low-income beneficiaries receive the $600 annual credit to help them pay for their prescription drugs.

As a founding member of the Alzheimer’s Early Detection Alliance, the AOA affirms its commitment to educating the osteopathic family and the public about the warning signs of Alzheimer’s and the importance of early detection. With someone developing Alzheimer’s every 70 seconds, it’s important to “Know the 10 Signs” most critical for detecting the disease and to see a physician if you experience any of the symptoms.

The AOA supports the Campaign for Alcohol-Free Sports TV and endorses its central principles recognizing and working to combat the problem of young people and alcohol use.

The Campaign for a Healthy Smoke-free Chicago is a coalition of health and community organizations committed to protecting workers and patrons from the dangers of secondhand smoke. The campaign supports passage of a clean indoor air ordinance that would eliminate smoking in workplaces and some public areas.

CaringBridge is a non-profit Web service that provides free, patient websites to help families stay connected to their loved ones and support networks during a health-related crisis. A CaringBridge website is personal, private, and available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Visit the website to learn more about creating a free, personalized website to connect loved ones during an illness.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, radon is the leading cause of cancer among non-smokers and results in 21,000 deaths each year. The AOA has partnered with the Children’s Environmental Health Network (CEHN) to expose the dangers of radon.

The Colby Foundation was established by AOA member John Cassani, DO, and his wife, Starla, after the tragic loss of their 14-month-old son, Colby, who drowned after being left unattended in the bathtub by a babysitter. After being asked to consider organ donation, their decision helped the Cassani family find hope in the middle of tragedy. They donated Colby’s heart, kidneys and liver to three individuals. All three transplant surgeries were successful, and the Cassani family made it their mission to raise awareness about organ and tissue donation through the foundation’s speakers bureau and the Colby Cassani Endowment Lectureship Series.

The AOA supports the Department of Health and Human Services in its initiatives to save lives through organ and tissue donation and tissue transplantation. This site offers a printable organ donation card and information for families to consider.

For more than 45 years, DOCARE has sent osteopathic physicians, osteopathic medical students and other health care professionals on short-term medical missions to medically underserved communities in Mexico, Central America and South America.

The AOA has partnered with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to provide the “Heads Up: Brain Injury in Your Practice” toolkit to help physicians evaluate and diagnose patients with known or suspected MTBI or concussion. Physicians can order the toolkit free of charge on the CDC website.

The AOA is proud to support the Health Care and You Coalition in the effort to educate Americans about the health care law. The coalition’s website provides state-by-state information about the law; a timeline of implementation; a glossary of health care terms; the latest news and more to help Americans better understand what this law means for them.

Healthy People 2020 is a national health promotion and disease prevention initiative designed to improve the health of all Americans. The AOA is one of many national partnering organizations that has pledged to support this effort.

The AOA is proud to participate in the White House-sponsored Joining Forces initiative, which addresses the health care needs of military service members and veterans and their families. This health care initiative is just one aspect of the Joining Forces movement, which seeks to mobilize all sectors of society to provide our service members and families opportunities and support.

Of the approximately 76 million American adults who have high blood pressure, 20% of them are unaware of it; 69% are being treated and 30% aren't being treated even though they know they have the condition. The JNC 7 recommendations are based on results of many studies focusing on the most effective ways to better control blood pressure.

As a member of this alliance, the AOA joins the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, Mothers Against Drunk Driving, and the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence among others to support and promote the implementation of a comprehensive science-based strategy to reduce underage drinking. For more information about the alliance, call (202) 332-9110.

Dedicated to improving the quality of health care in juvenile confinement facilities, prisons and jails, the National Commission on Correctional Health Care sets standards covering the areas of care and treatment, health records, administration, personnel, and medical-legal issues.

The National Dialogue for Healthcare Innovation (NDHI) was established in 2010 to provide a forum where leaders from all health care sectors can share diverse views while working toward consensus on important issues affecting health care innovation. The AOA participated in the NDHI inaugural physician-industry summit and looks forward to continued collaboration. Details of the summit and resource materials are available on the NDHI website.

According to the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine, the average osteopathic medical student carries an educational debt load of approximately $180,000. The AOA has partnered with the National Health Service Corps (NHSC) to assist DO graduates with repaying their loans. For more information about the NHSC Loan Repayment Program, call (800) 221-9393 or visit the website.

One of the most important decisions we can make during our lifetime is the kind of medical care and treatment we do and do not want when we are seriously ill and cannot speak for ourselves. It’s even more important to put our decisions—our advance directives—into writing. While more than 70% of Americans have thought about their advance directives, only 29% have a living will. Each year, April 16 marks National Healthcare Decisions Day and the AOA joins this effort to raise awareness for a difficult but very necessary issue.

The AOA is proud to partner with the National Inhalants Prevention Coalition (NIPC) in the effort to raise awareness among children and adults about the effects of inhalant abuse, also known as huffing or sniffing. For more information about inhalant abuse including its signs, visit the NIPC website.

The AOA has partnered with the National Institute on Drug Abuse and its Physician Outreach Initiative, NIDAMED. The initiative is designed to help DOs screen patients for the use of alcohol, tobacco and drugs, both prescription and illicit. Online resources include a screening tool developed from the World Health Organization’s Alcohol, Smoking and Substance Involvement Screening Test, which has been validated as an effective tool for identifying substance abuse.

Working with the Association of SIDS and Infant Mortality Programs and the Association of Clinicians for the underserved, Project IMPACT has developed free clinical Tool Cards on Infant Death Reduction and Bereavement Support for the Family Suffering the Death of an Infant. Both are available free of charge at the National SIDS and Infant Death Resource Center or Project IMPACT. The AOA has spoken out on SIDS in policy statements dating back to 1974, and is a proud supporter of this program.

Sponsored jointly by the AOA and the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine, OSTMED® is a bibliographic index containing roughly 30,000 citations and abstracts of journal articles providing access to the osteopathic medicine literature via the Internet. Its aim is to cover all aspects of osteopathic medicine (clinical, social, and professional), including osteopathic manipulation and the relevant manual medicine literature.

The AOA joined the Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease to help raise awareness of policies and practices that save lives and reduce health costs through more effective prevention and management of chronic disease.

Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) affects approximately eight to 12 million Americans with many more at risk for this condition. The AOA is a partner of the Peripheral Arterial Disease Coalition, a consortium of distinct health-related organizations and vascular professional societies that have united to raise the public awareness of PAD.

The President's Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition is an advisory committee comprised of citizens who advise the President through the HHS Secretary about physical activity, fitness, and sports in America. Through its programs and partnerships with the public, private, and non-profit sectors, the Council works to promote health, physical activity, and fitness, for all individuals through participation in physical activity and sports.

The Produce for Better Health Foundation (PBH) is a consumer education foundation focused on motivating people to eat more fruits and vegetables to improve public health. The foundation is responsible for a variety of nutrition education and marketing programs, including the Fruits & Veggies—More Matters health initiative. PBH offers free, customizable toolkits on its website for physicians to share with patients.

The Healthy Athletes Provider Directory is an online database of health care professionals who are able and willing to treat patients with intellectual disabilities. DOs can create and maintain a listing in the provider directory to help the public find a health care provider in their area who treats patients with intellectual disabilities.

Together Rx Access helps qualifying individuals who lack prescription drug coverage and are not eligible for Medicare. Savings range between 25-40% on more than 300 brand name prescription drugs and there are savings on generic drugs. The Together Rx Access Program is sponsored by several pharmaceutical companies and supported by the AOA.

To provide DOs with the latest information on successfully treating tobacco dependence, the AOA supports the U.S. Public Health Service’s recommendations outlined in its 2008 clinical practice update: Treating Tobacco Use and Dependence. DOs can earn one hour of AOA Category 2-B credit by taking the online course based on the guideline.

The United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) is a nonprofit charitable organization that facilitates organ distribution and transplantation in the United States. Under government contract, UNOS maintains the nation's organ transplant waiting list, as well as establishes policies and raises awareness about organ donation.

The AOA has proudly partnered with Urgent Matters, a national initiative dedicated to finding, developing and delivering strategies to improve patient flow and reduce emergency department crowding. Urgent Matters shares information free-of-charge about patient flow best practices through e-newsletters, webinars and its website.

The mission of the USPSTF is to evaluate the benefits of individual services based on age, gender, and risk factors for disease and make recommendations about which preventive services should be incorporated into primary medical care.