September is Sickle Cell Awareness month and Shands Jacksonville is marking the occasion with the announcement of a huge gift and its annual Walk-a-thon.
Jacksonville’s only pediatric sickle cell center located on the campus of Shands Jacksonville is the proud recipient of a $1.1 million dollar gift from the Lucy Gooding Charitable Foundation Trust.
The Comprehensive Pediatric Sickle Cell Center at Shands Jacksonville offers a wide variety of services to individuals and families living with sickle cell disease. In collaboration with Nemours Children’s Clinic, the center provides more than just medical treatment. It offers patients access to support groups, academic enrichment, medical management, social services, genetic counseling, developmental and psychological evaluation, as well as therapy. The center features eight exam rooms, a computer and tutorial lab, conference room and office space for staff and the Northeast Florida Sickle Cell Foundation.
The Lucy Gooding gift will help fund a new adolescent-adult transition program and pediatric neuropsychological support program. The transition program will allow patients from 21-25 years old to continue seeking care at the facility. Previously, patients were only seen up to 21 years of age. Statistics show many young adult sickle cell patients fall away from treatment after the age of 21. Shands Jacksonville is hoping this new program will help patients transition into adult care. The gift will also help provide neuropsychological testing for pediatric patients in which approximately 10 percent suffer from strokes. This new service will allow doctors to monitor their cognitive levels.
In conjunction with the Northeast Florida Chapter of the Sickle Cell Disease Association, the hospital is hosting its 8th Annual Walk-a-thon Saturday, Sept. 16. This annual walk-a-thon also helps fund programs at the center. The walk begins at the FCCJ downtown campus. Registration is at 8 a.m. and the walk starts promptly at 9 a.m. Those that attend will be treated to live entertainment, food and free screenings for sickle cell disease, glucose and cholesterol. The Florida Sickle Cell poster child who lives in Jacksonville will also be in attendance.
Sickle cell disease is an inherited disorder affecting red blood cells that become hard and pointed instead of soft and round, causing anemia, pain and many other problems. Individuals with sickle cell disease have an average life expectancy of 45 years of age. In the U.S., it is estimated that more than 70,000 people have the disease. About 1,000 babies are born with the disease each year in the U.S.