The Third Annual Minnesota Sickle Cell Disease Conference was held today at Normandale Community College in Bloomington, Minnesota and has been judged a success by attendees. The conference was hosted by the Sickle Cell Disease Advocates of Minnesota as part of events to mark September which is designated Sickle Cell Awareness Month.

This year’s event showcased a broad range of speakers, all from Minnesota. The event started at 8 am with continental breakfast and networking by members, attendees and speakers.

The first speaker was Bonnie Jean, an author and parent advocate of the Pacer Center . The second speaker was Wendy Ringer also a parent advocate of Pacer. Elizabeth McDonough of Hematology/Oncology, Children’s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota took center-stage for a very interesting round table discussion about expectations from the provider’s standpoint. The fourth person to speak was Dawn Lorenz of Psychological services, Children’s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota. She is their insurance and reimbursement officer and gave a very informative talk on the ‘behind the scenes’ of healthcare payments and insurance company technicalities. The final speaker was Abdulahi Sheikh of Minneapolis Urban League. He discussed the cultural issues surrounding immigrant and minority health in Minnesota.

Other highlights of the conference include Dr Karen Wills of psychological services Children’s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota who gave a brief overview of SCD PLANE: Program Fro Learning Assessment and Neuropsychological Evaluation, a program of the Childrens’ Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota. Mr Martin Uko gave the position statement at the end of the presentations and after discussions and deliberations. Dr M.Obinna Nwaneri of Fairview Southdale Hospital and University of Minnesota Physicians talked about the plans of starting an adult sickle cell disease program and clinic at the Fairview University Hospital in the coming months. Dr Steve nelson was present at the event.

The event was broadcast live on Twitter and Facebook with minute-by-minute updates all through the event. President Barrack Obama visited Minneapolis today and this may have been a distraction as some of the expected families made last minute cancellations. However attendance was impressive.

To view photos, follow this link: Conference Photos