First few Article Sentences
In 2010, the State of California Department of Public Health (CDPH) was awarded a contract by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to collect state-specific, population-based data on people with hemoglobinopathies or hemoglobin disorders. Hemoglobinopathies, including sickle cell disease (SCD) and thalassemia, affect a relatively small group of people in the U.S. but have been deemed a public health issue due to poor access to quality care for those affected. CDC’s Registry and Surveillance System for Hemoglobinopathies (RuSH) pilot project was implemented in six other states, with the goals of: providing estimates of the number of existing and new cases of SCD and thalassemia each year in the participating states; providing information on trends in medical care and about morbidity and mortality for people with these disorders; and providing information to assist with planning public health interventions.