At present, 42 states and the District of Columbia include sickle cell in their neonatal screening panels.1 Additional screening is not recommended later in life. The recent patterns of immigration from Central and South America have brought a large population of Latino children to the United States who have not been screened at birth.
La Clinica del Pueblo is a nonprofit community health center serving the Latino community in Washington, DC. Sickle cell screening is performed as a part of a routine health evaluation for immigrant children because the District of Columbia school system requires the results for school enrollment. Individuals found to have positive results receive appropriate counseling.