An African American couple brings their 1 month-old baby girl for the establishment of care in your practice. They report that they are deeply disturbed because their baby girl is found to have sickle cell disorder with hemoglobin SS type. In order to provide the best healthcare possible for their daughter, they would like to have some information on prevention and treatment of sickle cell disease complications. Regarding the preventive and treatment strategies available for patients with sickle cell disease, which of the following statements is true?
