Presidential Documents

Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 169 / Friday, September 3, 2021 / Presidential Documents 49899 

Proclamation 10247 of August 31, 2021 

National Sickle Cell Awareness Month, 2021 

By the President of the United States of America 

A Proclamation 

Today, 100,000 Americans live with sickle cell disease (SCD). The genetic 

disease, named for the sickle-shaped red blood cells it causes, leads to 

severe pain, serious infections, and organ damage. The severity of SCD 

varies, with many people facing a shortened life expectancy and a host 

of recurring, debilitating, and expensive health problems. 

This condition also disproportionately affects Black and Brown Americans, 

with an estimated 1 in 365 Black Americans and 1 in 14,000 Hispanic 

Americans suffering from it. As President, I am committed to supporting 

those who have been hit the hardest by SCD. And during National Sickle 

Cell Awareness month, our Nation reaffirms our commitment to improving 

the quality of life and health outcomes for all individuals living with SCD. 

Our Nation’s extraordinary medical professionals and scientists are working 

tirelessly to find a cure and develop improved treatments for SCD. Recent 

scientific advances have led to effective approaches for managing SCD and 

preventing complications, including new drug therapies approved by the 

Food and Drug Administration. And while current treatments may not be 

universally effective, researchers continue to improve existing treatments, 

such as bone marrow transplants that can effectively cure SCD in some 

patients. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has continued supporting 

SCD research, education, and capacity building, including the ‘‘Cure Sickle 

Cell Initiative’’ to accelerate safe, effective, and scalable gene therapies to 

cure the disease. As a result of the many advances and medical breakthroughs 

in genetic therapies and research, we are now closer to finding a cure 

for all SCD patients. 

My Administration is committed to following science, delivering breakthroughs, eliminating health disparities facing communities of color and 

other underserved communities, and promoting the health and wellness 

of all Americans. 

We will continue our efforts to improve the lives and livelihoods of individuals struggling with SCD by improving access to quality health care, collaborating with our partners in the public and private sectors, adhering to 

the guidance of scientific experts and researchers, and supporting all families 

affected by SCD. 

This month, we celebrate the progress made in treating Americans suffering 

from SCD and we stand together to improve the health of those living 

with this disease. 

NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of the United States 

of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution 

and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim September 2021 

as National Sickle Cell Awareness Month. I call upon the people of the 

United States to learn more about the progress we are making to reduce 

the burden of this disease on our fellow Americans. 


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49900 Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 169 / Friday, September 3, 2021 / Presidential Documents 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this thirty-first day 

of August, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-one, and of the 

Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and fortysixth. 

[FR Doc. 2021–19328 

Filed 9–2–21; 11:15 am] 

Billing code 3295–F1–P 


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