CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- Blood donations are down during the COVID-19 pandemic and there’s a push to get more African-Americans to donate.
September is Sickle Cell Awareness Month and the Illinois Coalition of Community Blood Centers is working with the Joint Caucus of Black Elected Officials to hold blood drives across the state.
“Sickle Cell Disease is a debilitating blood disorder with 1 out of 12 African Americans carrying the trait for the disease and 1 out of 100 Latinos. Treatments require ongoing transfusions, but the more transfusions a patient has, the more difficult it can be to find a match, and the most compatible and reaction-free match is that of a donor with a similar ethic background. However, less than five percent of the nation’s blood supply comes from black donors, leaving many sickle cell patients often waiting for the right match,” said Shelley Mitchell, Regional Manager of Donor Recruitment for Versiti Blood Centers of Illinois, in a statement.
Between 90,000 and 100,000 people in the United States have the disease. Cook County Commissioner Donna Miller is one of those carrying the trait for the disease and is encouraging more participation in the black community.
"Because I have sickle cell trait, I am always slightly anemic under the standards that are recommended," Miller said, which means she cannot donate blood to her sister, who has the disease; but she is joining other members of the Joint Caucus of Black Elected Officials in raising awareness and trying to boost the five percent of blood donations in the country that come from African Americans. That is critical, because people with a similar ethnic background provide the best match for transfusions, needed frequently for treatment.
“The past six months have been an especially devastating time for Illinois’ blood supply. Thousands of blood drives were cancelled, because of closed schools, business, etc., due to COVID, and the demand for blood has increased greatly this summer, because of people who had postponed medical care during the spring are now requiring more complex treatments. We applaud Rep. Ford and Commissioner Miller for taking the lead on this important outreach and to the other members of the Black Caucus, who have stepped forward to make people understand how vital it is to their communities that they donate blood,” said Margaret Vaughn, Government Affairs Director for the Illinois Coalition of Community Blood Centers, in a statement.
The Black Caucus is working with the Illinois Coalition of Community Blood Centers in hosting blood drives this month at the DuSable Museum and churches in Chicago, Dolton and Rockford. To find one, go to americasblood.org.
Donor requirements include being at least 17 years old (16 with parental permission), in good health, and weigh at least 110 lbs. The donation process takes about an hour, consisting of a health screening, donating time and snack. Individuals can donate whole blood once every 56 days, explained Illinois Coalition of Community Blood Centers President Jim Watts of the Mississippi Valley Regional Blood Center.
“Since blood only has a shelf life of 42 days, blood donation is not something you do once in a lifetime. But donations are needed on an ongoing basis and every 2 seconds someone needs blood and it has to be tested, processed and on the shelf ready to go. We hope that by launching this campaign our constituents will not only donate once but become regular donors,” explained State Rep Camille Lily (D-Chicago).