For the first time in Canada, children with sickle cell disease will have access to a dedicated clinic at SickKids thanks to The Prince Hall Family, and it will be named after a distinguished Ontario public servant.

The Prince Hall Family (TPHF) celebrated a milestone 250th anniversary this year in September, and rather than simply looking back, the historic organization is taking bold steps forward. 

On Sept. 28, members and supporters gathered in Toronto for the inaugural Black Tie Brunch — not only to mark the new clinic, but to raise funds for a new Sickle Cell Disease clinic at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids).

In a powerful gesture of recognition, the clinic is named after Joseph and Norma Halstead and family. Halstead has had an accomplished 25-year career in the Ontario Public Service, is a longtime community leader and member of the Prince Hall Family. For him, the news came as a surprise, one he describes as both humbling and deeply meaningful.

“We’re very excited and pleased that the Prince Hall Family has deemed us worthy of this recognition, a very important initiative,” Halstead told Now Toronto.

“It’s an opportunity that only comes every so often in life, and we are everlastingly grateful.”

A LEGACY OF SERVICE MEETS A CRITICAL HEALTH ISSUE

Since 1852, the Prince Hall Family has been contributing into Ontario’s charities, working to uplift Black communities through education, leadership, and various initiatives. 

From scholarships and bursaries to blood drives and support for the Kidney Foundation, the organization has built a long tradition of tackling community needs head-on.

Now, its focus is shifting to one of the most urgent issues in Black health care: sickle cell disease. The inherited blood disorder disproportionately affects people of African and Mediterranean descent, yet has historically been underfunded and underserved in Canada.

Halstead says the clinic represents both a new chapter and a continuation of the group’s longstanding mission.

“What we want to do is bring more awareness to the issue of sickle cell disease, and the fact that it affects kids, which is part of our primary focus as an organization,” he explained. 

“If we can put everybody at the table and complement our efforts and harmonize our resources, then imagine the impact we will have on the challenges that SickKids and other hospitals dealing with sickle cell can do. So, we’re very excited to be part of the process.”

The new clinic will be the first of its kind in Canada, a precedent Halstead hopes will inspire similar action across the country.

“This is not a Toronto-centric issue. This is a national issue. This is a worldwide issue,” he said. 

“Sickle cell affects people of African descent, people of Mediterranean descent, but generally everybody. To the extent that it is a problem worldwide. We see this as one of many other similar or different types of action that needs to be taken to bring about a better living standard for people with the disease.”

SickKids itself is at a moment of transformation, celebrating 150 years of advancing children’s health while charting a future in “Precision Child Health,” a model focused on individualized care and health equity. 

Jennifer Bernard, president and CEO of SickKids Foundation, said the fight against sickle cell disease represents the most urgent need for this equity-focused work.

“This vision is deeply connected to our Black Experience at SickKids program, which confronts inequities in health care head-on. Nowhere is this more urgent than in sickle cell disease, a condition that disproportionately impacts Black children and families and demands greater recognition, resources, and equity,” Bernard said in a statement. 

CARRYING THE MISSION FORWARD

For Halstead, the decision to name the clinic after his family carries a symbolic weight. It ties their personal connection with the disease to a larger collective mission of resilience, and reform.

He recalls the moment the idea was first shared over lunch.

“The head of our organization just one day said, ‘I’ve got an idea. We’ll call it the Joe and Norma Halstead Wing.’ I thought, this is a big deal. We were pleased,” Halstead said with a smile.

The naming, he emphasizes, is not about individual recognition but about rallying others to the cause. TPHF has committed to raising $1 million with SickKids as part of the initiative.

“Monetary help is very important, we have agreed, as part of our arrangement with SickKids to raise a million dollars to help them with their further establishment of their work with sickle cell. So, anyone listening and feeling desired — they can make contributions directly to SickKids with a tax receipt in return and make sure it’s designated to the SickKids Foundation, sickle cell anemia program,” he encouraged. 

“Canadians as a whole need to understand that this is a very, very serious blood disease, like so many others that we have focused on over time. This is very important. We want our community, the Black community, to be aware that we are disproportionately affected by this disease.”

The Prince Hall Family’s anniversary serves as a reminder of the organization’s enduring presence in Canada, but the new clinic showcases their forward-looking vision. As Halstead put it, the work is about continuing a tradition of community care while meeting today’s urgent challenges.

“We are very pleased for the opportunity to partner with SickKids,” he said. “It’s what we do. It’s what we believe should be done. And we just want to find a way to, yes, raise the money, and we need help with that, but also to bring communities together so that they get more understanding, more awareness, and begin to find in their own way, help, to find the right solutions for this particular disease,” Halstead said. 

As of Tuesday afternoon, TPHF has raised nearly $35,000 of their one million goal. To make a donation, visit here.