The Center is growing by 145 new patients each year. Providers in other state refer many patients due to the website. CNN has used the website as a reference for several news articles about sickle cell disease. SickleCellKids.org directed by local artist Cynthia Gentry , to teach children and parents about sickle cell disease using colorful animation s, inspirational stories and educational cartoons. This family friendly site will have educational materials that will be fun to view and allow inter-activity using the latest tools in web design.
Content is reviewed by the center staff and is guided by patient and parent focus groups.
There will be lessons on the body and blood, interactive quiz shows, comic illustrations that reinforce healthy living, and pain management content. Several celebrities have authored inspirational notes to the children to be viewed while content downloads. The Web is a wonderful tool to improve patient and provider education, communication, and satisfaction. This could be a model for disease management for safety net hospital patient populations by improving access in a very cost-effective manor.