How We Provide Support
A serious chronic illness such as sickle cell disease presents many challenges for patients and their families. That is why we provide a number of supportive services, including assistance with school issues, a summer camp for patients, and psychology and social work support in clinic.
Our multidisciplinary team plays an important role by helping patients and families understand their medical condition and guiding them to community resources.
The Comprehensive Sickle Cell Center director, Punam Malik, MD, is internationally known for her innovative gene therapy research. She also is the program leader of the Hematology and Gene Therapy Program at the Cancer and Blood Diseases Institute.
Our Services
At the Comprehensive Sickle Cell Center, a team approach allows us to provide the most effective, coordinated care possible. Our medical services include:
- Coordination of newborn screening follow-up testing, education and counseling for hemoglobin disorders
- Comprehensive care for patients from birth through young adulthood
- Access to novel therapies through our partnership with the National Institutes of Health
- 24-hour emergency care through the Cincinnati Children’s Emergency Department, with support from an on-call hematologist
- Extensive hemoglobinopathy laboratory testing
Patients at the center benefit from the Day Hospital, where they can receive blood transfusions and other procedures. This facility provides the same high level of care and close observation available on an inpatient basis, but allows patients and families to return home at night. Internet access is available.