Sickle Cell Program

As recently as the 1980s, many children with sickle cell disease and thalassemia did not survive into adulthood. However, with the advances of newborn screenings and aggressive management of infections and anemia, life expectancy has increased dramatically.

Our goal is no longer to see children just survive. They must also thrive. This requires multidisciplinary care that is carefully coordinated between the families, schools, physicians and nurses from many specialties. This is our responsibility as a comprehensive clinic.

We follow approximately 150 children with sickle cell disease through our clinic, making it one of the largest clinics in the Northeast. Established in 1990, our clinic provides both outpatient and inpatient care in a supportive, respectful atmosphere.

We provide care and support from infancy, through the school years and into adulthood. As these diseases can be mild or severe, we provide individualized care to each patient.

In keeping with our mission, we are also active educators in the community and the hospital. We teach residents, fellows, nurses and pediatricians in the care of children with hemoglobinopathies. We are active members of the New England Pediatric Sickle Cell Consortium, which is a regional group interested in promoting care for children with sickle cell disease.