Senators’s bipartisan bill advances medical research, diagnostic, and treatment options for Arizonans living with valvular heart disease
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Senate unanimously passed Arizona senior Senator Kyrsten Sinema’s bipartisan CAROL Act – legislation introduced with Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) that creates a grant program to conduct research on valvular heart disease, a heart condition that can lead to sudden cardiac failure and death.
“Too many Arizonans – suddenly, without warning or expectation – have lost their lives due to valvular heart disease. I’m proud to partner with Republican Leader McConnell in securing Senate-passage of our bipartisan CAROL Act to fuel medical research and improve treatment options and save lives. I look forward to getting it passed into law and thank Congressman Barr for championing this effort,” said Sinema.
Republican Congressman Andy Barr (Ky.) introduced the House companion with Democratic Congresswoman Kathleen Rice (N.Y.) in honor of his wife Carol, who passed from sudden cardiac death due to valvular heart disease in June 2020.
The CAROL Act creates a grant program through the National Institutes of Health, in coordination with the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, to conduct research on valvular heart disease and could help identify those at high risk of sudden cardiac arrest. This type of longitudinal population research is necessary to fill knowledge gaps and develop risk and screening criteria to better inform early intervention and treatment plans.
In addition to creating a research grant, Sinema’s bipartisan CAROL Act instructs the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to carry out programs increasing awareness and reduce incidences of death. The bipartisan legislation requires entities collecting information and research to submit their findings to CDC. The CDC in turn will publish best practices for doctors and other health care providers who provide care to individuals with valvular disease.
Sinema is one of the co-founders of the bipartisan and bicameral Personalized Medicine Caucus, that focuses on early disease detection, targeted medical treatment, and improved prevention strategies for Arizona patients.