LANSING – Yesterday Senator Bert Johnson (D-Detroit) introduced a bill that would create a public awareness campaign through the Michigan Department of Community Health to be developed and disseminated to health professionals, health facilities and agencies, local health departments and the general public on sickle-cell disease.

“Sickle-Cell Disease affects roughly 90,000 Americans and occurs at the highest rate among the African-American community,” Johnson said. “Another 2.5 million Americans are carriers for the sickle-cell trait. This campaign will provide all Michigan citizens with crucial information that can improve – and even save – many lives.”

Sickle-cell disease can lead to many complications, including stroke or silent stroke, decreased immune reactions, leg ulcers, jaundice, blindness, spontaneous abortion in pregnant women, chronic pain, chronic renal failure, and more.

“Raising awareness is one of the most effective methods of battling life-changing diseases,” Johnson said. “I want to make sure people who might be vulnerable to sickle-cell disease and may not know it have the information they need to protect themselves and their families.”

Under the bill, the Department of Community Health would include information about the disease and the methods of care and treatment modalities available, as well as available resources on the local, state and national level.