My advocacy and personal experience with SSD is my wife Cynthia and I cared for my son Andre Jr from his birth in 1983 until his passing in 2022. He was diagnosed with SSD at 6 months old. I have experienced multiple hospitalizations, transfusions, emergency room visits , pain crisis and pain management with my son . There have been multiple issues with emergency room visits including long waits , poor treatment, stigmatized, discrimination, lack of knowledge on behalf of the nurses and Dr’s, bad pain management, and being admitted when needed. Over the years some of these barriers to care have gotten better but we still have a long way to go! The conversation has to happen and changes need to be made in order for patients with SSD to reach their full potential!My wife and I are advocates for SSD , mental health, substance abuse, homelessness and the health disparities and social determinants of health that lead to inequity . We are both graduates of Leadership Dekalb and Morehouse School of Medicine’s Dr Satchers community health leadership program. We also recently started a nonprofit organization called Discovering Moorer2Life ! Our mission is to address the health disparities within our community in order to help individuals reach their full potential.
I am also closing in on my 9th year of service on the DeKalb CSB board and recently accepted the position of Vice Chair.I also serve on the Finance and Executive compensation committees and the Brighter Dekalb Foundation. I am a graduate of Leadership Dekalb’s class of 2019 and also Morehouse School of Medicine Dr Satchers Community Health Leadership Program in 2015. I currently serve on the advisory board for SCDC and EDSCD for Sickle Cell .I volunteer for NAMI Dekalb and serve as a partner with the Sickle Cell Consortium of Atlanta. I have lived in Dekalb county for 25 years. In my professional life I am a business/owner operator. Thanks
Andre D Moorer