A sharp, sudden pain awakens you from
a deep sleep. As you gather your
senses you begin to realize the pain is in your leg. It strikes again, and this time it takes your
breath away—like a sharp serrated knife twisting slowly. Again and
again, constant stabbing as you try to convince yourself that
this is not happening, you experience another surge of pain, and then another. You
call 911 and an ambulance comes to rush you to the hospital. This scenario is one that Dr. Marjorie
Dejoie, medical director of the Sickle Cell Disease Association of America’s Philadelphia/Delaware
Valley Chapter and a sickle cell patient described when we met to discuss how
UnitedHealthcare might better support UnitedHealthcare
members who live with this disease.
Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a global
health issue; the World Health Organization calls it a public health priority. SCD
primarily affects African Americans, occurring in one out of every 500 African-American
births.
June 19th was World Sickle Cell Day, a
day not only to raise awareness of SCD, but also to act as community to fight
this truly awful disease. And Philadelphia did its part, as many Philadelphians
participated in a blood drive at the Park West Town Center. SCD patients often
need blood transfusions, so the blood drive was a big help to local efforts to
fight the disease. The event was hosted by the Philadelphia/Delaware chapter of
the Sickle Cell Disease Association of America (SCDAA), which also provided
free blood pressure screenings, “True Age” assessments and free passes to local
gyms were also available.
The blood drive was part of UnitedHealthcare
and the SCDAA Philadelphia/Delaware Valley chapter’s much larger effort to
create a care management program for people with SCD living in Southeast
and Northeast Philadelphia and enrolled in UnitedHealthcare Medicaid plans.
The Sickle Cell Disease
Care Management Program – the first of its kind in Pennsylvania – aims to
improve patient health, eliminate gaps in care and reduce the need for
emergency care for patients with SCD.
UnitedHealthcare
specialized care management team members will work with patients one-on-one to
discuss the patients’ psychosocial needs, help them follow the prescribed
treatment and connect them with appropriate care resources. The team will also help to educate patients
about SCD and work to eliminate any gaps in care.
SCD is a genetic
disorder that causes long strands of hemoglobin to form within some red blood
cells, forcing the cell into a sickle shape.
Besides having to live with sometimes excruciating pain, persons with
sickle cell disease are much more prone to contract severe, sometimes
life-threatening, infections.
Our SCD Care Management
Program will focus on patients prescribed the only available disease-modifying
treatment for SCD, a drug called hydroxyurea.
Hydroxyurea works by increasing the levels of fetal hemoglobin in red
blood cells, which promotes the production of healthy red blood cells and
decreases the likelihood of sickle cell disease complications.
The result of our Sickle
Cell Disease Care Management Program will be healthier SCD patients, fewer
hospitalizations and lower overall health care costs for the community.
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| Team members from the SCDAA helped out at the Blood Drive on June 19th to celebrate World Sickle Cell Day in Philly! |
