Diversity in the Donor Pool

Building Diversity – One Donor at a Time

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Communities of color are disproportionately impacted by two inherited blood disorders: sickle cell disease and thalassemia. Individuals with sickle cell disease almost always have ancestors from sub-Saharan Africa or Latin America; individuals with thalassemia almost always have ancestors from northern Africa, southern Europe, the Middle East or southern Asia. Individuals with sickle cell disease or thalassemia often rely on transfusions of blood donated from individuals with similar ancestry to improve their health and even save their lives. If your ancestors come from one of the highlighted regions, please consider donating blood to help those in need.

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Educational Programs

• Building Diversity in the Blood Donor Pool to Meet the Needs of Patients (presented through the generous support of Georgia Health Policy Center)

Other Web Resources

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Sickle Cell Trait Toolkit
• American Society of Hematology 2020 Guidelines for Sickle Cell Disease: Transfusion Support
• www.MySleevesUp.com – REdHHoTT (Registry and Education for Hemovigilance in Hemoglobinopathy Transfusion Therapy) is a project led by the Georgia Health Policy Center and funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Its goal is to reduce complications of blood transfusions for people who have sickle cell disease or thalassemia — two inherited blood disorders.
• Sickle Cell Disease Association of America – Web resources

Patient Stories

• Lydia’s Story (American Red Cross)
• Today’s Faces of Sickle Cell Disease (NIH/NHLBI)
• Real Stories from People Living with Sickle Cell Disease (CDC)