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Oklahoma Blood Institute's Global Blood Fund

Give2 Campaign
 
Blood donors are "givers". Blood donors know blood donations offer health, hope, healing and comfort to patients in need. By donating blood with OBI, patients in our local communities are served. By participating in the Give2 Campaign, the impact of a blood donor's gift is global. OBI, through its Global Blood Fund, will assist selected donor centers around the world by providing them with the equipment and expertise they need. Annually, three to four Global Blood Fund donor centers will be selected.

According to the World Health Organization, over 50% of the blood collected in developing countries comes from donors who are paid to donate or who are designated family/replacement donors. This type of donor has a higher risk of transfusion-related diseases like HIV, hepatitis B, hepatitis C and syphilis.

The Oklahoma Blood Institute agrees with the World Health Organization that the safest blood donors are those who donate voluntarily, are at low-risk and give without payment. One key is to work with developing countries' transfusion services to help them recruit and retain safe voluntary donors. To do this, low-risk donors must be identified, they must be educated about blood donation and motivated to donate, and finally, blood donors must have access to good donor care and a pleasant blood donation experience.

Bloodlink Foundation is OBI's first Global Blood Fund donor center. Bloodlink works with six blood transfusion centers in Kenya. Did you know:

In Kenya, an estimated six patients in medical institutions die from blood related transfusion complications every hour.

  • Kenya needs 200,000 blood products annually. Its centers currently provide just 130,000 products, a deficit of 70,000 products.
  • 60 percent of the blood collected comes from school children -- ages 16 and up.
  • 55 percent of blood donated is used to treat anemia in children and mothers during pregnancy and child birth.

How you can help:

Participating is easy. Simply donate your MFL points to the Global Blood Fund's Give2 Campaign on-line: http://obi.membersforlife.org/

By donating your MFL points, OBI will help Bloodlink secure some of its most basic necessities for mobile blood drives:

1. Portable donor beds: Over 80% of the blood donated in Kenya comes from mobile blood drives. Too often, blood donors have to share a bed while donating. Portable donor beds that are light weight,
sturdy, and transportable would be "invaluable" to securing new safe blood donations.
   
2. Digital blood pressure machines: Current blood pressure machines are "subjective and break down"
adding to high rates of deferrals. Digital blood pressure machines aid blood donation by being faster,
more accurate and more durable.
   
3. Hemocue HB digital machines: The new digital machines accurately measure blood donor hemoglobin (iron) levels. The copper sulphate method currently used is inaccurate which can be harmful to anemic donors.
   
4. Digital weight scales: Scales are needed to accurately screen donors.
   
5. Laptops for field use and recruitment: Laptops allow access to a computerized database that tracks a blood donor's history and eligibility to donate. Blood safety is greatly enhanced by this access.
   
6. Projector for donor recruitment: A projector is a valuable presentation tool at workshops and educational forums where blood donors may be recruited.
   
7. Folding chairs and folding desks: Imagine showing up at blood drive and not having a chair on which to sit or a desk on which to write. Mobile blood drives in Kenya must rent such basic needs limiting mobility and impacting the blood donation experience.

Global Blood Fund's Purpose: To empower and promote to donor centers across the world, the principles of OBI's mission to provide the safest and highest quality blood, services and health programs to the patients and the communities served.

OBI will not export blood but rather assist Global Blood Fund donor centers in securing the equipment and expertise necessary to operate a blood center in a safe and high quality fashion.

For more information contact OBI @ 1-877-GIVE-BLOOD or www.obi.org