National Sickle Cell Awareness Month: Complimentary Education Programs Available to AABB Members

AABB joins organizations across the United States in recognizing November as National Sickle Cell Awareness Month. Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a genetic disease that affects an estimated 90,000 to 100,000 Americans, almost all of whom have ancestors from sub-Saharan Africa or Latin America. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, SCD occurs among about 1 out of every 365 Black or African American births and about 1 in 13 Black or African American babies is born with sickle cell trait (SCT).

For many people with SCD, blood transfusions from genetically similar donors help prevent severe complications of SCD. However, the legacy of racism in health care – including past discrimination against African American blood donors – has contributed to a mistrust of the medical establishment that still affects the blood community today. Accordingly, African American blood donation rates have been 25-50% lower than that of white individuals throughout the past decade.

Several AABB educational programs have focused on how blood centers can begin to address the legacy of discrimination against African American communities to build a diverse blood supply that better serves all patients. AABB is pleased to offer complimentary single-viewer registration to the following on-demand programs as part of its National Sickle Cell Awareness Month activities:

• HOT TOPIC Discussion: Building Diversity in the Blood Donor Pool to Meet the Needs of Patients, which describes the transfusion challenges facing the sickle cell and thalassemia populations. This program also includes proven strategies for gaining and retaining African American and other donors of color, along with free resources to aid blood centers.
• HOT TOPIC Discussion: Building a Diverse and Sustainable Blood Supply: Strategies from Around the World. This program includes case studies of successful community-building initiatives in the U.S. and beyond to reach target demographics, such as donors of color, younger donors and the growing aging population.

AABB also invites members and the public to read complimentary features from the March issue of AABB News. These free news articles explored how a diverse donor helps care for both patients with rare blood and chronically transfused patients.

While scheduling a blood donation appointment is one way to support patients with SCD, AABB recognizes that there are other ways to help. Individuals who are unable to donate blood can still contribute to the mission of National Sickle Cell Awareness Month by making a gift to AABB’s National Blood Foundation (NBF).

The NBF drives innovation through early-career scientific research and education grants that reinforce AABB's mission to support donor and patient safety. NBF is proud to have supported several early-career investigators whose promising research projects have improved understanding of SCD and advanced patient care.