Sickle Cell Disease and Other Heritable Blood Disorders Research, Surveillance, Prevention, and Treatment Act of 2018

To amend the Public Health Service Act to reauthorize a sickle cell disease prevention and treatment demonstration program and to provide for sickle cell disease research, surveillance, prevention, and treatment. 1. Short title; table of contents (a) Short title This Act may be cited as the Sickle Cell Disease Research, Surveillance, Prevention, and Treatment Act of 2018 (b) Table of contents The table of contents of this Act is as follows: Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. Sec. 2. Sense of the Senate. Sec. 3. Sickle cell disease surveillance. Sec. 4. Sickle cell disease prevention and treatment. Sec. 5. Collaboration with community-based entities. 2. Sense of the Senate It is the Sense of the Senate that further research should be undertaken to expand the understanding of the cause of, and to find a cure for, sickle cell disease. 3. Sickle cell disease surveillance Part P of title III of the Public Health Service Act is amended by inserting after section 399V–6 ( 42 U.S.C. 280g–17 399V–7. National Sickle Cell Disease Surveillance, Prevention, and Treatment Program (a) Surveillance (1) Grants The Secretary may, for each fiscal year for which appropriations are available to carry out this subsection, make grants to not more than 20 eligible entities for the following purposes: (A) To conduct surveillance and maintain data on the prevalence and distribution of sickle cell disease and its associated health outcomes, complications, and treatments. (B) To conduct public health initiatives with respect to sickle cell disease, including one or more of the following: (i) Increasing efforts to improve access to high-quality sickle cell disease-related health care, including the use of treatments approved under section 505 of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act or licensed under section 351 of this Act. (ii) Working with partners to improve health outcomes of people with sickle cell disease over the lifespan by promoting guidelines for sickle cell disease screening, prevention, and treatment, including management of sickle cell disease complications. (iii) Providing support to community-based organizations and State and local health departments in conducting sickle cell disease education and training activities for patients, communities, and health care providers. (iv) Supporting and training State health departments and regional laboratories in comprehensive testing to identify specific forms of sickle cell disease in people of all ages. (C) To identify and evaluate promising strategies for prevention and treatment of sickle cell disease complications, including through one or more of the following: (i) Improving estimates of the national incidence and prevalence of sickle cell disease, including estimates about the specific types of sickle cell disease. (ii) Identifying health disparities related to sickle cell disease. (iii) Assessing the utilization of therapies and strategies to prevent complications related to sickle cell disease. (iv) Evaluating the impact of genetic, environmental, behavioral, and other risk factors that may affect sickle cell disease health outcomes. (2) Population included The Secretary shall, to the extent practicable, award grants under this subsection to eligible entities across the United States so as to include data on the majority of the United States population with sickle cell disease. (3) Application To seek a grant under this subsection, an eligible entity shall submit an application to the Secretary at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Secretary may require. (4) Eligible entity In this subsection, the term eligible entity . 4. Sickle cell disease prevention and treatment (a) Reauthorization Section 712(c) of the American Jobs Creation Act of 2004 ( Public Law 108–357 42 U.S.C. 300b–1 (1) by striking Sickle Cell Disease sickle cell disease (2) in paragraph (1)(A), by striking grants to up to 40 eligible entities for each fiscal year in which the program is conducted under this section for the purpose of developing and establishing systemic mechanisms to improve the prevention and treatment of Sickle Cell Disease grants to up to 25 eligible entities for each fiscal year in which the program is conducted under this section for the purpose of developing and establishing systemic mechanisms to improve the prevention and treatment of sickle cell disease in populations with a high density of sickle cell disease patients (3) in paragraph (1)(B)— (A) by striking clause (ii) (relating to priority); and (B) by striking Grant award requirements The Administrator shall Geographic diversity (4) in paragraph (2), by adding the following new subparagraph at the end: (E) To expand, coordinate, and implement transition services for adolescents with sickle cell disease making the transition to adult health care. ; and (5) in paragraph (6), by striking $10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2005 through 2009 $4,455,000 for each of fiscal years 2018 through 2022 (b) Technical changes Subsection (c) of section 712 of the American Jobs Creation Act of 2004 ( Public Law 108–357 42 U.S.C. 300b–1 (1) transferred to the Public Health Service Act ( 42 U.S.C. 201 (2) redesignated as subsection (b); and (3) inserted at the end of section 399V–7 of such Act, as added by section 2 of this Act. 5. Collaboration with community-based entities Section 399V–7 of the Public Health Service Act, as amended by section 3, is further amended by adding at the end the following: (c) Collaboration with community-Based entities To be eligible to receive a grant or other assistance under subsection (a) or (b), an eligible entity must have in effect a collaborative agreement with a community-based organization with five or more years of experience in providing services to sickle cell disease patients. .

Summary: Sickle Cell Disease and Other Heritable Blood Disorders Research, Surveillance, Prevention, and Treatment Act of 2018 (Sec. 2) This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize the Department of Health and Human Services to award grants to government, educational, and nonprofit entities for the purpose of supporting data collection and public health activities regarding heritable blood disorders, including sickle cell disease. (Sec. 3) Additionally, the bill reauthorizes through FY2023 and revises the sickle cell disease grant program for federally-qualified health centers, nonprofit hospitals or clinics, and university health centers.