Black Lawmakers Continue to Push for Sickle Cell Action  

This submit was initially printed on Sacramento Observer

By Genoa Barrow

For many years, African American lawmakers have taken motion and led the cost to help individuals dwelling with sickle cell. The next is a quick checklist of key efforts.

On March 21, 2023 California Congresswoman Barbara Lee joined Florida Congressman Charles Christ in introducing H.R. 7177, a invoice that may amend the Public Well being Service Act, partly, to authorize a scholarship and mortgage reimbursement program to incentivize physicians to enter into the sector of sickle cell illness analysis and therapy.

On March 21, 2023 Congressman Danny Okay. Davis (D-Illinois) launched H.R. 1672, which might set up and supply funds for state Medicaid applications to enhance outpatient care for people with sickle cell illness, with a deal with younger adults and pregnant girls.

Congresswoman Barbara Lee sponsored HR 8855 on September 15, 2022 to determine a program to handle sickle cell illness and different heritable hemoglobinopathies. 

California Assemblymember Mike Gipson (D-Carson) authored and launched AB 1105 on Feb. 21, 2019, to determine a three-year pilot program designed to enhance care and therapy for these dwelling with sickle cell illness. The invoice put aside $15 million from the state price range to the Division of Public Well being to develop a number of grownup sickle cell illness clinics throughout the state within the geographic areas the place the most important numbers of adults with sickle cell illness stay. The trouble grew to become a actuality with Gov. Gavin Newsom’s Finances Act of 2019.

On February 28, 2018, U.S. Senator Scott, Tim [R-South Carolina ] launched S.2465, The Sickle Cell Illness and Different Heritable Blood Issues Analysis, Surveillance, Prevention, and Remedy Act of 2018. The invoice was handed by Congress on December 10 and signed into legislation by President Donald Trump every week later, committing to much-needed SCD analysis geared in direction of rising the understanding of prevalence, distribution, outcomes, and therapies. It additionally reauthorized SCD prevention and therapy grants awarded by the Well being Assets and Service Administration (HRSA), and licensed the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention (CDC) to award SCD surveillance grants to states, educational establishments and non-profit organizations.

In 2017, AB 1488, the Sickle Cell Remedy Act, was the primary piece of laws to mandate the event of a Sickle Cell Illness Heart which was to offer take care of sufferers and practice medical suppliers all through California. The invoice handed, however lacked funding to truly middle a program.

In 1983 Julian Dixon, a member of the Congressional Black Caucus and former California Assemblymember, authored a invoice to designate September as Nationwide Sickle Cell Consciousness Month. The invoice was co-sponsored by Oakland-based Congressman Ron Dellums.

Ron Dellums was amongst these urging motion on sickle cell on the nationwide degree again within the Seventies with such payments as HR 11170. In 1972, Congress handed the Nationwide Sickle Cell Illness Management Act which, for the primary time, supplied authority to determine schooling, info, screening, testing, counseling, analysis, and therapy applications. Richard Nixon was president on the time.

The submit Black Lawmakers Proceed To Push For Sickle Cell Motion   appeared first on The Sacramento Observer.