Sickle Cell Awareness Month — Part III: Treatment Available in Columbus

September is Sickle Cell Awareness Month, an effort to educate the public about an inherited blood disorder that disproportionately affects Black Americans and remains, for most patients, a lifelong illness without a widely accessible cure.

For families living with sickle cell disease, getting proper treatment can mean a lifetime of doctor visits, medications, blood tests and, in some cases, emergency hospital care.

But for patients in Columbus and the surrounding Chattahoochee Valley, some of that care is available close to home.

The Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta operates an outpatient pediatric sickle cell clinic in Columbus at the Regional Pediatric Center, 705 17th St., Suite 406.

The clinic is held on the fourth and fifth Wednesdays of each month and provides children and young people with access to specialists in sickle cell disease without requiring families to make the nearly two-hour drive to Atlanta for every appointment.

The availability of local specialty care is particularly important because sickle cell disease is not an illness that can be managed only when a patient is in crisis. Regular medical monitoring can help doctors prevent or identify complications involving the blood, kidneys, lungs, brain and other organs.

Adult patients also have local resources

Adults living with sickle cell disease also have resources in the Columbus area.

The Association of Sickle Cell Lower Chattahoochee Region provides education, patient-care assistance, counseling, mentoring and other support services for people with sickle cell disease and their families. The organization says its mission includes promoting testing, connecting patients with community resources and improving quality of life for people living with the disease throughout west-central Georgia.

The association has also worked with Tree of Life Healthcare in Columbus to provide sickle cell screening, preventive care, treatment, education and community support. Tree of Life announced the establishment of a dedicated sickle cell clinic in 2022 as part of an effort to improve access to care locally and reduce reliance on emergency rooms for routine treatment.

That local network can be especially important for patients who are uninsured, underinsured or face transportation barriers.

Treatment for sickle cell disease depends on a patient's age, disease severity, symptoms and medical history. Care can include medications to reduce complications, pain management, blood transfusions and preventive treatment. Some patients with severe disease may also be candidates for stem cell transplantation or newer gene therapies.

Treatment has entered a new era

Perhaps the most significant development in sickle cell treatment in decades has come through gene therapy.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Casgevy and Lyfgenia in 2023 as the first cell-based gene therapies for sickle cell disease. Casgevy became particularly historic because it was the first FDA-approved treatment using CRISPR gene-editing technology.

And the treatment landscape continues to change.

In July 2026, the FDA expanded approval of Casgevy to patients as young as 2 with sickle cell disease and recurrent vaso-occlusive crises. The therapy modifies a patient's own blood-forming stem cells to increase production of fetal hemoglobin, which helps prevent red blood cells from taking on the abnormal sickle shape that can block blood flow and cause severe pain and organ damage.

Gene therapy is not a simple outpatient procedure. Patients must undergo an extensive evaluation and intensive treatment process, including collection of their own stem cells and chemotherapy before the modified cells are returned to the body. Whether a patient is an appropriate candidate requires consultation with a specialized sickle cell treatment team.

For Columbus patients who require more advanced specialty care, Georgia also has major sickle cell centers in Atlanta and Augusta.

The Georgia Comprehensive Sickle Cell Center at Grady Health System in Atlanta provides primary and specialized care as well as a 24-hour acute care unit for patients experiencing pain crises. Grady says its team treats thousands of patients annually for problems ranging from acute pain to transfusions and disease-modifying therapies.

The Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University has operated a Sickle Cell Center since 1972. The center brings together specialists in medicine, pediatrics, hematology and oncology and other disciplines for treatment, research and education. Augusta University says its program serves more than 1,500 pediatric and adult patients and operates an outreach network serving patients across Georgia.

Knowing where to turn matters

For people living with sickle cell disease, access to care can determine whether complications are prevented or become medical emergencies.

That is why Sickle Cell Awareness Month is about more than wearing red, raising money or simply recognizing the name of the disease. It is also about making sure families know where treatment and support can be found.

For Columbus residents, the message is important: You do not have to fight sickle cell alone, and not every appointment requires a trip to Atlanta.

Specialized pediatric care is available in Columbus. Community organizations are helping adults and families navigate the disease. And when more advanced treatment is necessary, Georgia has specialized centers capable of providing higher levels of care.

Sickle cell disease may be inherited, but suffering in silence should never be.

Awareness must lead to testing. Testing must lead to knowledge. And knowledge must lead to treatment.

Because for every sickle cell warrior in our community, access to the right care at the right time can make the difference between simply surviving the disease and having the opportunity to live a fuller, healthier life.