Omega Psi Phi is hosting a blood drive in honor of their brother, Dr. Charles Drew, “Father of the Blood Bank”.
Also, come hear OneBlood's director of minority blood donation programs talk about Dr. Drew and African American blood donorship on Monday, November 15th, at 6:30 p.m. in the Fraternity and Sorority Life office.
HISTORY
Dr. Drew was a renowned surgeon and pioneer in the preservation of life-saving blood plasma. He earned his MD and CM (Master of surgery) in 1933, graduating second in a class of 137. He discovered the method for long-term storage and organized and was the first director of the first American Red Cross Blood Bank and assistant director in charge of blood for the United States Army and Navy. In a time of blatant racism and hostility toward African Americans, Dr. Drew’s achievements required him to overcome discrimination and other challenges. He quit the American Red Cross because of its policy on segregating blood according to race (after a battle to even allow African Americans to donate blood). He returned to Howard Medical School where he became chair of the Department of Surgery and Chief Surgeon at Freedmen’s Hospital.
The Fraternity not only recognizes their accomplished brother, but also want to educate their members and the greater campus community about the importance of blood donorship in the African American community. Only 1% of US blood donors are black, yet genetically-similar blood is needed, especially for those who receive repeated transfusions. Blood that closely matches a patients is less likely to be rejected and can mean fewer complications. About 70 percent of African Americans are types O and B, but there are more markers that make blood a match than just blood type. An example of an illness that requires repeated transfusions is sickle cell anemia, which impacts more than 70,000 people in the United States, most of them African Americans.
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Knights Bleed Black & Gold!
Visit http://BloodDrives-UCF.org for information for students, faculty, and staff regarding drives,
events, volunteering, blood donor facts, advocacy, and UCF training and educational opportunities.
Students, faculty, and staff interested in working with the Knights Bleed Black and Gold Blood Drive Advisory Council, please contact BloodDrives@ucf.edu.
Thank you for making a difference!