LANSING – The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) has announced the awardees of the Sickle Cell Clinic Expansion and Enhancement Program grants.
The purpose of the program is to offer new resources to providers that help increase patient access to quality multidisciplinary health care and improve care coordination, as well as establish preferred provider networks that focus on sickle cell disease. The three awardees, with each receiving $100,000, are:
Henry Ford Health, which will focus on assuring a smooth transition of sickle cell disease patients from pediatric to adult care, as well as to improve access to other specialty and treatment management services, such as orthopedics, pain management and allied services.
Michigan State University, which will work to establish a lifespan sickle cell center in Lansing within its Inherited Blood Disorder Service. This clinic will be staffed by a multi-disciplinary team and be available to both pediatric and adult sickle cell disease patients.
University of Michigan, which will work to ensure health care providers follow national guidelines and patients and caregivers practice preventative care, including keeping appointments and following disease-altering treatments and medication recommendations.
“We are excited to see work begin on these projects,” said MDHHS Director Elizabeth Hertel. “We look forward to seeing how they will evolve and the impact they will have on our priorities of making sure patients take the medication they need and receive preventative care, as well as assuring more equitable access to care for those with sickle cell disease.”
The clinic award period ends Sept. 30, 2022. Successful applicants may be awarded continuing funding annually through Sept. 30, 2024, based upon funding availability and their performance.
Funding for the new clinic programs was included in the fiscal year 2022 budget signed by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer as part of the expansion of the Children’s Special Health Care Services program to cover adults with sickle cell disease.
Anyone who wants more information on the new clinic services can email genetics@michigan.gov. Anyone who wants more information about the Children’s Special Health Care Services program or its enrollment process can contact their local health department or call the Children’s Special Health Care Services Family Phone line at 1-800-359-3722.
