New sickle cell center for kids aims to fill void

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The center will provide patients with access to a multidisciplinary team, including doctors, a social worker and a clinical research associate, who can help with everything from psychological assessments to communicating with a child’s school about the impact of the disease, Rashid said.

“There’s a lot of advancement in medical care right now,” she said. “We know if we’re on top of things, we can avoid a lot of medical complications.”

The pediatric center, which treats roughly 200 patients with the disease every year, saw a need for a sickle cell center that could house a multitude of resources under one roof, Rashid said last week at an event that provided patients and parents with a preview of the center.

Sickle cell disease, a genetic condition that results in irregularly shaped red blood cells, often is accompanied by mild or moderate anemia and produces symptoms that include fatigue, lightheaded-