From the Founder

In 1994 eight local African-American physicians met with the PA Secretary of Health at my home where we committed ourselves to developing a program to address the needs of the sickle cell patients (SCD) in our region. We were motivated by the recent death of a sixteen year old girl who had had surgery for an acute gall bladder attack. She survived the surgery but succumbed in the immediate post-operative period. As we reviewed the situation we recognized that there were a host of problems that SCD patients faced. We decided that the limited knowledge, resources and skills for managing SCD patients would no longer be tolerated.

Your continued support is critical to our ability to continue and expand our client base and service diversity.

Thank you.
Donald W. Spigner, MD

News Announcement of Case Manager/Advocate It is my pleasure to announce that Debra M. Bizzard, BSW, returned to the South Central Pennsylvania Sickle Cell Council (SCPSCC) on November 16, 2009 as the Case Manager/Advocate. Click the headline to read full article... Press Release In 2009 the NCAA announced to its member organizations a decision to recommend that all collegiate athletes confirm their sickle cell trait status. Although the Sickle Cell Disease Association of America does not support collegiate athlete screening in its present form, we are sensitive to the impetus behind the NCAA's recommendation and overwhelmingly support, in principal, efforts to educate all individuals about their hemoglobinopathy status. Click here to download the full article. NCAA Recommends Athletes Be Tested for Sickle Cell Contact: Lanetta Jordan, MD, MPH, MSPH Chief Medical Officer Chair, Medical & Research Advisory Committee FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE August 17, 2009 Most recently, as has been reported in the popular press, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) has recommended that its member institutions test student athletes to confirm their Sickle Cell Trait status. The recommendation stems from the settlement of a lawsuit brought by the family of Dale Lloyd II, a 19 year old Rice University freshman who unexpectedly collapsed during a football conditioning practice on September, 24, 2006 and died a day later. It is believed that sickle cell trait contributed to Dale Lloyd II’s untimely death. Specifically, it was reported that Mr. Lloyd died from complications secondary to rhabdomyolysis (rapid breakdown of muscle tissue). Please click on the link at the top to read the complete story. Central Penn Parent magazine names Dr. Donald Spigner Physician of the Year Nominations for the 2008 Healthcare Heroes program opened in October, 2007. Nominations were accepted for nine categories of awards: Allied Healthcare Hero, Children’s Health Advocate, Corporate Achievement Hero, Education Hero, Emergency Services Hero, Innovation Hero, Nurse of the Year, Physician of the Year and Volunteer of the Year. Nominees could be either an individual or a company. Central Penn Parent Magazine had a panel of four independent judges who reviewed and scored the nominees based on set criteria for each category. There were a total of 50 finalists in the nine categories, and the winners for each category were not unveiled until the awards program, which took place on Monday, March 31, 2008, at Whitaker Center for Science and the Arts. Dr. Donald Spigner was nominated by Sharon Saunders from Rejoice! Inc. Foster Care and Adoption Agency as a nominee for Physician of the Year. There were six finalists for the Physician of the Year award, and Dr. Spigner was chosen as the winner! Check out the video! NHLBI STOPS STUDY OF TREATMENT FOR PULMONARY HYPERTENSION The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) of the National Institutes of Health has stopped a clinical trial testing a drug treatment for pulmonary hypertension in adults with sickle cell disease nearly one year early due to safety concerns. In an interim review of safety data from 33 participants who completed 16 weeks of treatment, researchers found that, compared to participants on placebo (dummy pill), participants taking sildenafil (Revatio) were significantly more likely to have serious medical problems. The most common problem was episodes of severe pain called sickle cell crises, which resulted in hospitalization. No deaths have been associated with the drug in the clinical trial. Click here to read the whole story. All News    Events All Events