Starting July 1, 2026, any health care practitioner registered with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency to prescribe controlled substances will have to take a standard continuing education course that must include information regarding the treatment of pain for patients with sickle cell disease.
This move is expected to make a real impact.
“I think it’s definitely a start for doctors to realize that it’s not the patient making up a fake need, that it is a real need and understanding what types of doses might be more relevant for sickle cell patients will improve the care for sickle cell patients,” Florida Sickle Cell Center's Dr. Jawan Ayer said.
The senator who filed the bill, Shevrin Jones, said this move was important because people living with the disease have a hard time with obtaining treatment for pain management that they need.