The American Red Cross By Emily Peterson, Fernando Matallana, Charmaine Larson and Cory Bluemel

The History of the American Red Cross Clara Barton founded the American Red Cross in Washington, D.C. on May 21, 1881. After World War II, the Red Cross introduced the first nationwide civilian blood program that now supplies more than 40 percent of the blood and blood products in this country. During the 1990s, we engineered a massive modernization of our blood services operations to improve the safety of our blood products. The Red Cross also expanded our services into such fields as civil defense, CPR/EMT training, HIV/AIDS education, and the provision of emotional care and support in the wake of disasters.

The American Red Cross provide compassionate care in five critical areas: People affected by disasters in America Support for members of the military and their families Blood collection, processing and distribution Health and safety education and training International relief and development The American Red cross is also World wide and is called Global Red Cross The three parts of the global Red Cross network are the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and the more than 185 national societies.

Mission and Vision Statement The American Red Cross prevents and alleviates human suffering in the face of emergencies by mobilizing the power of volunteers and the generosity of donors.​ The American Red Cross, through its strong network of volunteers, donors and partners, is always there in times of need. We aspire to turn compassion into action so that… All people affected by disaster across the country and around the world receive care, shelter and hope Everyone in our country has access to safe, lifesaving blood and blood products; All members of our armed services and their families find support and comfort whenever needed; In an emergency, there are always trained individuals nearby, ready to use their Red Cross skills to save lives. It makes no discrimination as to nationality, race, religious beliefs, class or political opinions.

The American Red Cross Funding The American Red Cross is a humanitarian organization, led by volunteers, that provides relief to victims of disasters and helps people prevent, prepare for, and respond to emergencies. It is a Non - Profit Organization. The American Red Cross is not a federal agency, nor do we receive federal funding on a regular basis to carry out our services and programs. They receive financial support from voluntary public contributions and from cost-recovery charges for some of our services from health and safety training courses. At times, federal and state government agencies also contract with the Red Cross and provide material aid and assistance to support the Red Cross in fulfillment of specific instances of our charter obligations.

Where your money goes when you donate An average of 91 cents of every dollar the Red Cross spends is invested in humanitarian services and programs. The American Red Cross helps people in need every single day, not just during large scale disasters. https://youtu.be/9nJh3foDof4

Why Donate Blood? Because it Makes a difference and Saves Lifes. Every two seconds someone in the U.S. needs blood. Approximately 36,000 units of red blood cells are needed every day in the U.S. Nearly 7,000 units of platelets and 10,000 units of plasma are needed daily in the U.S. Nearly 21 million blood components are transfused each year in the U.S. The average red blood cell transfusion is approximately 3 pints.

Benefits and Facts

@redcross on twitter Follow American Red Cross on Facebook or Instagram

Mobile App: Red Cross

Stigma with Gay Donors For Decades, Gay Men donors could not donate. Regulated by FDA For Decades, Gay Men donors could not donate. MSM Men who have had Sex with Men Gay were banned since 1983. AIDS Epidemic

Donating for Homosexuals Today December 21, 2015 (CNN) FDA lifts lifetime ban New Regulation: 12 months abstinence on accepting blood donations from Men who have had sex with Men (MSM).

AABB & American Red Cross Joint Statement: “Medically and scientifically unwarranted” Urging the FDA to change policies so they are: “comparable…” Human Rights Campaign: “Step in the right direction” The American Association of Blood Banks

When Donating History of travel, medical history and mini physical. Tested for several infectious diseases. Anti-Trypanosoma cruzi (Chagas Disease) Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) Human Immunodeficiency Virus (Types 1 and 2) Human T-Lymphotorpic Virus (HTLV) Syphilis West Nile Virus

Blood Services: Hospital “We provide hospitals with the following lifesaving blood products 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.” Blood is delivered to a Red Cross Blood Componenet Lab where it is processed into several componenets: RBCs, Plasma, Platelets etc.

Raising awareness Red Cross Month (March) Mobile blood donations (on campus) Training Courses First Aid/CPR/AED Babysitting and Child Care Lifeguarding CNA EMT

Services Disaster Relief Supporting America’s Military Families Providing shelter, food, health and mental health services Supporting America’s Military Families Help military member, veterans and their families prepare for, cope with, and respond to challenges of military services.

Services Lifesaving blood Health and Safety Services Donating blood, nearly 4 million a year donate. Health and Safety Services Providing courses in First Aid/CPR/AED and more. International Services Largest Humanitarian network 13 Million volunteers in 187 countries

Conclusion Positive communication climate answer to the blood shortage next campus blood drive

THE END Start to make a difference today!