Washington, DC - Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a blood disorder that affects more than 100,000 Americans, mostly within African-American and Hispanic populations. Despite improvements in health, lifespan, and quality of life for patients with SCD over the past decade, many challenges remain for those living with SCD.

Developing a Unified Approach for Sickle Cell Disease, a special supplement published today in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine (AJPM), underscores the impact of SCD on public health and the vital work being done to reduce the burden of the disease.

The supplement includes a series of commentaries and 11 articles that focus on four areas:

• Access to care,
• Advances in research,
• Monitoring population health, and
• Community involvement.

The supplement is available online at the AJPM website