The Comprehensive Sickle Cell Center at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia has two components — clinical care and research.

Clinical care:
Children with sickle cell disease receive routine care in the Hematology Outpatient Clinic on the 3rd floor of the Buerger Center for Advanced Pediatric Care on the Raymond G. Perelman Campus and in specialty care centers in the CHOP Care Network.

The clinics are staffed by a multidisciplinary team of board-certified pediatric hematologists, hematology nurse-specialists, social workers, psychologists and child life specialists. Each child is assigned a physician who manages their outpatient care. Patient and family education is provided at the time of diagnosis and is incorporated into all clinic visits as part of comprehensive care.

Parents and patients can reach a hematologist 24-hours a day. Parents, caregivers and older patients should call whenever patients are ill so that they can be directed to an appropriate site for treatment. For acute illness, children may be brought to the Hematology Acute Care Unit or the Emergency Department.

Research:
The Division of Hematology, to which the Sickle Cell Center belongs, has pioneered research in diagnosis, treatment and prevention of stroke in children with sickle cell disease.