III 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. RES. 861 

Expressing support for the designation of September 2024 as ‘‘Sickle Cell 

Disease Awareness Month’’ in order to educate communities across the 

United States about sickle cell disease and the need for research, early 

detection methods, effective treatments, and preventative care programs 

with respect to complications from sickle cell disease and conditions 

related to sickle cell disease. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

SEPTEMBER 25, 2024 

Mr. SCOTT of South Carolina (for himself, Mr. BOOKER, Mr. LANKFORD, Ms. 

WARREN, Mr. RUBIO, Mr. CARPER, Mrs. HYDE-SMITH, Mr. BROWN, Ms. 

STABENOW, Mr. PADILLA, Mr. WARNOCK, and Mr. YOUNG) submitted 

the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Health, 

Education, Labor, and Pensions 

RESOLUTION 

Expressing support for the designation of September 2024 

as ‘‘Sickle Cell Disease Awareness Month’’ in order to 

educate communities across the United States about sickle cell disease and the need for research, early detection 

methods, effective treatments, and preventative care programs with respect to complications from sickle cell disease and conditions related to sickle cell disease. 

Whereas sickle cell disease (referred to in this preamble as 

‘‘SCD’’) is an inherited blood disorder that is a major 

health problem in the United States and worldwide; 


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•SRES 861 IS 

Whereas SCD can result in multiple medical complications, 

including anemia, jaundice, gallstones, strokes, restricted 

blood flow, damaged tissue in the liver, spleen, and kidneys, and death; 

Whereas SCD causes acute and chronic episodes of severe 

pain; 

Whereas SCD affects an estimated 100,000 individuals in the 

United States; 

Whereas, approximately 1,000 babies are born with SCD 

each year in the United States, with the disease occurring in approximately 1 in 365 newborn Black or African 

American infants and 1 in 16,300 newborn HispanicAmerican infants, and can be found in individuals of 

Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, Asian, and Indian origin; 

Whereas more than 3,000,000 individuals in the United 

States have the sickle cell trait and 1 in 13 Black or African Americans carries the trait; 

Whereas there is a 1 in 4 chance that a child born to parents 

who both have the sickle cell trait will have the disease; 

Whereas the life expectancy of an individual with SCD in the 

United States is often severely limited; 

Whereas sickle cell anemia can shorten life expectancy by 

more than 20 years; 

Whereas sickle cell anemia is a common cause of childhood 

stroke, and, in 2019, fewer than half of children with 

sickle cell anemia who were 2 to 16 years old received the 

recommended screening for stroke; 

Whereas, in 2019, only 2 in 5 children with sickle cell anemia 

who were 2 to 9 years old used recommended medication 

that can prevent sickle cell anemia complications; 


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Whereas, in 2020, the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine developed a comprehensive strategic plan and blueprint for action to address sickle cell 

disease, which, among other things, cited the need for 

new innovative therapies as well as the need to address 

barriers that may impact delivery of and access to approved treatments; 

Whereas, while hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (commonly known as ‘‘HSCT’’) is currently the only cure for 

SCD and advances in treating the associated complications of SCD have occurred, more research is needed to 

find widely available treatments and cures to help individuals with SCD; and 

Whereas September 2024 has been designated as Sickle Cell 

Disease Awareness Month in order to educate communities across the United States about SCD, including 

early detection methods, effective treatments, and preventative care programs with respect to complications 

from SCD and conditions related to SCD: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) supports the goals and ideals of Sickle Cell 

3 Disease Awareness Month; and 

4 (2) encourages the people of the United States 

5 to hold appropriate programs, events, and activities 

6 during Sickle Cell Disease Awareness Month to raise 

7 public awareness of the sickle cell trait, preventative 

8 care programs, treatments, and other patient serv9 ices for those suffering from sickle cell disease, comVerDate Sep 11 2014 03:41 Sep 27, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\SR861.IS SR861

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1 plications from sickle cell disease, and conditions re2 lated to sickle cell disease. 

Æ 


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