NY Support Lags for Sickle-Cell Patients Facing Pain, Poor Treatment, Discrimination

Chronic pain, health complications and frequent trips to the emergency room are everyday concerns for an estimated 10,000 New Yorkers living with sickle-cell disease. Together, these individuals account for 10 percent of the country’s population diagnosed with the inherited blood disorder. Despite this geographic concentration, patients, advocates and health providers say that funding and overall quality of care continues to fall short in New York State. In 2017, the state allocated $250,000 to sickle-cell in its annual budget. Legislation to boost that funding has been introduced in both the New York State Assembly and Senate, asking for a budget of $3 million. Related content