[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 171 (Wednesday, September 6, 2023)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 60877-60878]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-19345]


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  Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 171 / Wednesday, September 6, 2023 / 
Presidential Documents  

[[Page 60877]]


                Proclamation 10615 of August 31, 2023

                
National Sickle Cell Awareness Month, 2023

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                During National Sickle Cell Awareness Month, we 
                recognize the perseverance and strength of the 
                community of people living with this disease and 
                recommit to developing more effective treatments.

                Approximately 100,000 Americans have Sickle Cell 
                Disease (SCD)--a group of inherited red blood cell 
                disorders that can cause acute, chronic pain and 
                serious health complications, including infections, 
                strokes, organ damage, vision problems, and serious 
                fatigue. Living with SCD often means putting the goals 
                and plans of everyday life on hold to accommodate the 
                demands of the disease, enduring frequent unplanned 
                hospital stays and struggling to pay for costly 
                treatments not covered by insurance.

                There is no widely available cure for SCD. While bone 
                marrow and stem cell transplants can work for some 
                people with SCD, low donor availability and treatment-
                related complications put those options out of reach 
                for many living with the disease. Although SCD affects 
                people of all backgrounds, it disproportionately 
                affects Black and Hispanic Americans. Combined with the 
                documented disparities in treatment and care, people 
                living with SCD often lack access to specialized care, 
                treatment, and information about the disease, and they 
                face barriers to receiving pain management and 
                treatment support.

                That is why my Administration is working tirelessly to 
                close these health disparities and help deliver the 
                care SCD patients and their families deserve. We are 
                working with State, territorial, and local governments, 
                nonprofits, and private sector partners to make that 
                happen. The Centers for Disease Control and 
                Prevention's Sickle Cell Data Collection program is 
                gathering more comprehensive information on the 
                experiences of SCD patients, which will inform new 
                treatments and health care services. The Centers for 
                Medicare & Medicaid Services is developing a Cell and 
                Gene Therapy Access Model, which would help Medicaid 
                beneficiaries gain access to potentially life-changing, 
                high-cost specialty drugs for illnesses like sickle 
                cell disease. The Health Resources and Services 
                Administration is assisting with early identification 
                and treatment of SCD and helping community-based 
                organizations and clinics conduct testing, counseling, 
                and education. The Food and Drug Administration has 
                approved new drug therapies that help people with SCD 
                manage their pain, and the National Institutes of 
                Health (NIH) is funding clinical trials to test new 
                advancements in the alleviation of chronic pain for 
                those living with SCD. NIH is also researching possible 
                personalized treatment approaches for SCD-associated 
                pain. And through its ``Cure Sickle Cell Initiative,'' 
                we are accelerating the development of effective and 
                accessible genetic therapies that will help cure SCD 
                once and for all.

                This month, we acknowledge all those living with SCD 
                and the many health and medical professionals working 
                to find new treatments and a cure for this disease. May 
                we honor the progress we have made together and 
                strengthen our resolve in finding a cure for SCD.

                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

[[Page 60878]]

                and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim 
                September 2023 as National Sickle Cell Awareness Month. 
                I call upon the people of the United States to learn 
                more about Sickle Cell Disease and 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-three, and of the Independence of the 
                United States of America the two hundred and forty-
                eighth.
                
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 2023-19345
Filed 9-5-23; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3395-F3-P