(www.stjude.org) — St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital was honored with a $1 million grant from The Links Foundation to acknowledge and celebrate the decades of research, treatment and care for sickle cell disease.
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital will become the first ever health care organization to receive the Legacy Grant from The Links Inc. The grant is aimed at supporting African Americans by advancing the research of sickle cell disease.
St. Jude was named the fifth recipient of the grant, following the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History & Culture, the National Civil Rights Museum, the United Negro College Fund and the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. The $1 million contribution will go toward programs that aim to improve treatment in the U.S. and globally.
Sickle cell disease is a potentially life-threatening disorder that can cause intense pain, strokes and other severe medical problems. The disease is the most common inherited blood disorder in the United States, affecting about 100,000 Americans, predominantly African Americans and Hispanics.
The Links Inc., the largest and oldest professional organization for African-American women, formally announced the grant to St. Jude on May 3.
“As the only medical doctor who has been president of this organization, my thrust for members has been all about health,” said Glenda Newell-Harris, M.D., national president of The Links, Inc. “I had a chance to visit St. Jude a few years ago, and was personally very moved and touched by what I saw walking the halls of this hospital.”
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