The mission of Sick Cells is to improve the quality of life and care for people living with sickle cell disease (SCD). Our approach to creating everlasting change includes helping shape public policy, educating the SCD community to be highly engaged advocates and harnessing the power of impactful storytelling. Through these efforts we will end the stigma of SCD and create greater awareness in the general public overall.
Sick Cells achieves its mission through two advocacy programs: the Faces of SCD Storytelling Program and the Ambassador Program.
Sick Cells documents the lives of people with SCD and their support systems. The purpose is to highlight the resilience of the community and complex challenges the community faces through the voice of the patient. The goal is to eliminate stigma by showing truths from the patients.
Sick Cells’ Ambassador Program is unique in educating and leveraging the skills of diverse advocates as well as serving as a policy hub for the larger sickle cell community including other SCD organizations. Sick Cells has a diverse network of patient advocates that we connect to current events.
Our federal and state advocacy efforts support our mission of elevating the voices of individuals with sickle cell disease. Here is a list of our current and ongoing policy priorities.
Access and CoverageAt Sick Cells, it is a priority for us to help people get health coverage and ensuring access to essential services and treatment. Access our up-to-date data that we use to advocate for improved coverage.
Policy & LegislationLearn more about our work to advocate for policies and legislation that improves the lives of those with sickle cell disease.
Value and Cost
Understanding the value of sickle cell treatments has become a priority across the sickle cell disease (SCD) community. Learn about our work to inform value assessments and costs related to SCD.
Sick Cells hosts two events each year to promote advocacy efforts across the SCD Community: Ambassador Policy Forum and Coverage for SCD Summit.
Every year, our Ambassadors come together for the annual Policy Forum. This event showcases the power of what the sickle cell disease community can bring as a united voice.
This collaborative forum brings together payers, providers, pharmaceutical manufacturers, patient groups, researchers, care teams, and policymakers to discuss ways to tackle the complexities of coverage and access to SCD treatments and care.
