A Comprehensive Approach
The New England Sickle Cell Institute provides care for adult patients with sickle cell disease. Sickle cell disease refers to a group of inherited blood disorders that impact hemoglobin found in red blood cells. Healthy red blood cells are flat, but, in patients with sickle cell disease, the red blood cells are curved (like a sickle), and this curvature can cause blockages and other complications.
Sickle cell disease is present at birth and can cause symptoms throughout the person’s life such as anemia, pain, fatigue, and jaundice. Most people with sickle cell disease will experience symptoms at some point throughout their lives with many symptoms beginning in infants and children. Because of this, most infants in the United States are screened for sickle cell disease at birth.
Patient-Centered Services
The New England Sickle Cell Institute is dedicated to providing quality patient care to adults living with sickle cell disease. It operates, in part, thanks to a generous donation from The Lea’s Foundation Center for Hematologic Disorders, a prominent Hartford nonprofit that provides support for blood cancer research efforts to the Neag Comprehensive Cancer Center.
UConn Health Minute: Sickle Cell Disease
Sickle cell disease is an inherited blood disorder that can cause symptoms such as anemia, pain, and fatigue. UConn Health’s New England Sickle Cell Institute is unique in the region and employs a multidisciplinary team who assists with the medical and emotional needs of patients.
The New England Sickle Cell Institute
The New England Sickle Cell Institute is dedicated to providing quality patient care to adults living with sickle cell disease. It operates, in part, thanks to a generous donation from The Lea’s Foundation Center for Hematologic Disorders, a prominent Hartford nonprofit that provides support for blood cancer research efforts to the Neag Comprehensive Cancer Center.
The institute employs hematologists, pain management specialists, nurse practitioners, nurses, social workers, researchers, and patient navigators who can assist with the medical and emotional needs of our patients with sickle cell disease. The institute also offers simple and exchange blood transfusions, and we are the only site in the region to offer erythrocytapheresis, a procedure that extracts only red blood cells.
Our staff works closely with the pediatric hematologists and others at Connecticut Children’s in order to assure a smooth transition of care from adolescent to adult providers. Our staff also collaborates with community-based organizations to aid in the delivery of care and improve the quality of life for individuals with these disorders.