Blood is a community resource available to all in times of need. Although blood donation is an anonymous act and donors are unable to see the end result of their generosity, by giving blood you are helping to save the life of a real person –a real person with a family and friends, a real person with hopes and dreams for the future. It takes only one hour of your time to help save up to three lives. That means that you can take pride in knowing you may have helped a child with sickle cell anemia play with friends, a mother give birth to her child or a grandparent spend more time with loved ones.

While all blood types are important, there is usually a strong demand for type O blood. Type O-negative blood, in particular, is the universal blood type, which means a patient of any blood type can receive type O-negative blood in an emergency situation. Consequently, type O blood is routinely in short supply and in high demand by hospitals. African-Americans and Hispanic-Americans, incidentally, have more type O and type B blood types than other populations, according to a 2001 American Red Cross study.

As an ethnic blood donor, you may have the unique ability to help patients with special needs. Increasing blood collections from minority groups, especially African Americans and Hispanic-Americans, is crucial because rare blood types are often found in minority populations. Also, diseases that require repeated blood transfusions for treatment, such as sickle cell anemia, are prevalent in the African American community – affecting one in every 500 African Americans. Although hospital patients can receive blood transfusions from any donor, it is very likely that a donor within the same racial group will be a better match.

Each time you donate you are asked to complete a Blood Donor record (BDR). This record helps to ensure the safety of our blood supply and secure the confidentiality of our blood donors. When asked to indicate your ethnicity, kindly respond. By understanding who our donors are, we can best meet the unique needs of our community.

It is vital that our blood supply reflects the diversity of our population to best meet the needs of all.

To find out how you, your community, religious organization, or school can become more actively involved in the blood donation recruitment process, please contact Debra Miller, at (585) 760-5829 or via email at millerdebra@usa.redcross.org.