National Sickle Cell Awareness Month, 2021

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.

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 forty-
sixth.