Educate. Connect. Empower. THRIVE.
ABOUT
HEM Foundation
Health equity requires
care for the whole person.
HEM Foundation, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to improving health outcomes for individuals and families impacted by sickle cell disease and other hematologic conditions.
We combine education, wellness, community support, scholarships, and advocacy to address the physical, mental, emotional, and social factors that influence health.
OUR MISSION
To improve health outcomes through a whole-person approach that combines education, community support, and practical resources while addressing the physical, mental, emotional, and social factors that influence health.
OUR VISION
A future where individuals and families affected by chronic health conditions have the knowledge, resources, support, and opportunities they need to live healthier, more connected, and fulfilling lives.
WHY WE EXIST
Health is shaped by more than a diagnosis.
Better health is shaped by the whole person & the world around them.
For individuals living with sickle cell disease and other chronic conditions, health can be influenced by far more than medical treatment alone.
Families may navigate chronic pain, unpredictable hospitalizations, medical trauma, mental health challenges, financial barriers, stigma, and difficulty accessing consistent support.
Research increasingly demonstrates the interconnectedness of our biological, psychological, and social experiences. Stress physiology, for example, can influence the nervous system, blood flow, inflammation, sleep, and pain perception, while chronic pain and illness can themselves become significant sources of stress.
HEM Foundation was created to address these connections.
We complement traditional healthcare with education, wellness experiences, community resources, scholarships, and supportive spaces that help individuals and families better understand their health, build practical skills, and feel supported beyond the clinical setting.
MEET OUR FOUNDER
Maya Bloomberg, MSN, APRN, FNP-BC
Founder & President | @theHemeNP
Maya Bloomberg is a board-certified Family Nurse Practitioner and Hematology Nurse Practitioner who has cared for individuals living with sickle cell disease (SCD) and congenital bleeding disorders since 2014.
Her clinical work gave her a front-row view of the inequities surrounding SCD. But the vision behind HEM Foundation became personal during the COVID-19 pandemic.
While working and raising three young children (specifically newborn twins and 3 kids under the age of 2 during lockdown), Maya experienced her own period of prolonged stress, healing, and transformation. As she began exploring the connections between stress, the nervous system, mental health, and physical well-being, she started looking differently at patterns she had witnessed for years in her patients.
The mind and body were never separate.
Our approach to health shouldn't treat them as if they are.
For people living with SCD, that connection is especially important. Chronic pain and unpredictable health crises can create significant psychological stress, while stress physiology can influence pain perception, blood flow, inflammation, sleep, and overall well-being. Maya became increasingly interested in how addressing these connections could complement traditional medical care.
In 2023, she founded HEM Foundation to broaden the conversation around health equity beyond access to medical treatment alone. Her vision was to bring together science, education, mental and emotional well-being, community, and whole-person health in ways that are practical, accessible, and grounded in the needs of the people HEM serves.
Today, that vision guides HEM's programs, partnerships, scholarships, educational initiatives, and growing impact within the sickle cell community.