Jewish Gainesville residents can now find out if they carry a genetic disease for free.
The Einstein Victor Center for the Prevention of Jewish Genetic Diseases is coming to UF Hillel on April 11, said Deborah Wasserman, the center’s outreach coordinator. Hillel hasn’t held a screening since about 2012.
The center will provide phlebotomists, who are trained to draw blood, to take samples to test for diseases, including Tay-Sachs disease, which destroys nerve cells, and cystic fibrosis, a disorder that affects the lungs and digestive system.
Natera, a genetic testing and diagnostics company, will analyze blood samples, Wasserman said. Screenings are open to anyone between the ages of 18 and 45 with at least one grandparent of Jewish descent.
While genetic screenings normally cost about $2,000, Hillel’s will be free for those with health insurance, with the exception of UnitedHealthcare, she said. Those without insurance will pay $95. About one in every two Jewish people carries the gene for at least one disease, Wasserman said.
The center travels to colleges around the country to give free screenings, Wasserman said.
Sabina Braverman, a nonprofit management intern at Hillel, said most Jewish college students don’t know about diseases and their chances of being a carrier. Jewish parents who are carriers run the risk of giving it to their children.
Braverman, 22, said young adults don’t consider the diseases because they don’t affect them yet. She said she hopes at least 100 people come.
“There are never too many people to help prevent diseases and save lives,” the UF psychology senior said.
