The Sickle Cell Center of Southern Louisiana (SCCSL) provides comprehensive care for patients in the southern half of the state, from Lake Charles to New Orleans. The majority of our patient population comes from the Greater New Orleans area. We provide care to patients with sickle cell disease as well as thalassemia and other hemoglobinopathies. The SCCSL offers 24-hour phone consults for physicians throughout Louisiana. The SCCSL prides itself on staying abreast of the latest treatments and research opportunities for patients with sickle cell disease, often participating in national studies providing evidence-based treatment for our sickle cell patients.

The pediatric sickle cell clinic is for patients from birth until early adulthood. We provide care in a comprehensive setting that includes a specialized sickle cell nurse and a sickle cell social worker. The focus of this clinic is on sickle cell disease treatments, with an emphasis on education for both the patients and their families. The pediatric clinic is currently held at Children’s Hospital.

The SCCSL offers a dedicated transition clinic whose aim is to improve the shift from pediatric care to adult care. Healthcare Transition is the process of getting adolescents and young adults ready for health care as an adult. The transition clinic at SCCSL provides an organized transition process to help patients gain independent health care skills, prepare for an adult model of care, and transfer to new clinicians. In the transition clinic, members of the pediatric team and the adult teamwork side-by-side to help patients gain these necessary skills and ease their transition to the adult health care setting. Most patients begin transition at 18 years of age and can continue in the transition clinic into their early 20s when they ‘graduate’ to the adult clinic. Care is individualized to each patient, and the length of time that a patient remains in the transition clinic is flexible based on their individual needs. Transition clinic is currently held weekly in our Metairie clinic.

The adult sickle cell clinic provides comprehensive care to adults with sickle cell disease. This includes a comprehensive medical exam, laboratory evaluations, psychosocial evaluation and support, and focused education and teaching. Visits are scheduled every 3 to 6 months. The clinic focuses on explaining sickle cell disease and its complications. Additionally, recognizing and avoiding future medical problems that are known to be associated with sickle cell. We also provide education about new medical research and treatments modalities.