Fast Facts About Minority Donations

• One in 12 African Americans carries the trait for sickle cell disease and one in 652 African Americans have sickle cell anemia. Sickle cell patients who frequently need blood transfusions are less likely to have adverse reactions when receiving blood donated from other African Americans. Of the 5 percent of eligible Americans who donate blood nationally, less than 1 percent are African American.



• Increasing minority donations is important because blood types O and B – the types of about 70 percent of African Americans are the blood types most in demand. Those types are the first to run out during a blood shortage.



• Some African-American patients have rare blood types like U-Negative or Duffy Negative. Because these types are rarely found in other ethnic groups, patients with these rare types must depend on other African Americans to supply this life saving blood.



• African Americans are also at greater risk than Caucasians for cancer, heart disease and birth complications – all of which often require blood transfusions.

• Despite what some believe, blood can be donated by someone with:
  - High blood pressure controlled with medication (if blood pressure is within guidelines on day of donation).
  - Diabetes controlled with medication.
  - Sickle cell trait.



• Reasons many people don’t give blood include:
  - They were not asked.
  - They don’t have time.
  - Most often, they do not know there is a need.



• The donation process is safe and takes about an hour from registration to refreshments. All needles, bags and tubing are sterile and are used only once.



• Most healthy people who are at least 17 years old (16 years of age with parental consent) and weigh at least 110 pounds can donate blood every 56 days