Ya can’t win if ya dasn’t play

This is not pretty, however you look at it, but is an issue with many ethnic people. Lots of factors have contributed to the challenges, both now, and in the past, but the lack of donations and registrations by people with specific, racial tendencies can adversely impact their chances at finding matches and donors.

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Louisiana borrows the kid’s allowances

And here goes Louisiana:

LifeShare Blood Centers to start accepting 16-year-old donors
LifeShare Blood Centers in Louisiana said it will start to accept 16-year-old blood donors starting Wednesday. The new donors should have parental consent and meet height and weight requirements.  Bossier Press-Tribune (Bossier City, La.) (8/16)

They can’t take care of themselves and so have to turn to their children. 

Poll: Should the FDA Allow Gay Men to Donate Blood?

US News and World Reports’ Should the FDA Allow Gay Men to Donate Blood? – US News and World Report– includes a lame, circular argument from the World Federation of Hemophilia.  He basically says that gay men should be banned from donating blood because they are.  What he does not address is that the deferral is for a man, any man, that has sex with another man, even one time – ever.  This is illogical given that a man who has sex with prostitutes is deferred for one year.

There may be a reason to ban gay men, even in a committed relationship, but that is not the risk being measured.  Too many arguments, including this one, miss that point.

DoD Marrow Donor Program renewed

This is a great program – only takes a few minutes and we have a great kid at Fort Hood who was saved by it.  Now – we just need more people to sign up, especially all the non-white-bread types out there.  Unlike blood, marrow is matched by ethnicity and with all the cool combinations of people the Army makes, it can be tougher than normal to find a match.  Go to www.DoDMarrow.org to find out more about this program.

Lawmakers introduce bill reauthorizing bone marrow registry
Reps. Bill Young, R-Fla., and Doris Matsui, D-Calif., have introduced a bill that would reauthorize the national bone marrow registry. "The reauthorization will provide us with the opportunity to continue our efforts to increase the number of adult donors and umbilical cord blood units available through the National Program," National Marrow Donor Program CEO Jeffrey Chell said.  Hill, The/Healthwatch blog(8/10)

Vending Machines: Not Just For Cash and Candy Anymore

Enter the blood bank vending machine. This device — which All Children’s placed near the operating room and in the cardiovascular ICU — allows qualified personnel to retrieve blood bags for transfusion patients. Similar in design to vending machines that stock chocolate bars or soda cans, this machine is a refrigerator that has 10 lockable shelves storing up to 150 bags of blood. Instead of inserting change or dollar bills into the machine, trained users scan both their own and the patient’s identification information, and the right cross-matched product will be dispensed — eliminating the chance of human error. It literally speaks to its “customers,” guiding them through the process of accessing the product. Even if the vending machine is placed far away from the laboratory, individuals can view the inventory on a computer screen in the blood bank. It also lets them know if there is a problem with the controlled temperature.

via Vending Machines: Not Just For Cash and Candy Anymore.

Blood bank continues call for more African-American donors

Old problem that haunts everyone.  Now – who’s got a tactful way to address it and attract more of the right kind of donors?

Blood bank continues call for more African-American donors
The Blood Alliance is continuing with its campaign to encourage more African-Americans to become blood donors. The blood bank said donors from this group have consistently been low in numbers — 7% of the center’s donors last year were black. There is a need to increase the number of donors from this group, particularly since they can be the best match for sickle cell patients needing regular blood transfusions, the blood bank said.  St. Augustine Record (Fla.), The (8/5)

Blood on the FOB

DVIDS documents an emergency blood drive in Afghanistan:

The injuries put a large demand on the hospital’s supply of type-O blood and underscored the ongoing need. While most gunshot wounds require relatively small infusions, explosive blasts generally cause multiple injuries and put a larger strain on the blood bank. Baseer said that last week, a patient required 20 pints during treatment.

via Digital Video & Imagery Distribution System.

Woman embarks on 5,000-mile walk for Marrow Registry

Great effort here.  Would that it didn’t take such extraordinary means to attract people’s attention to such a great way to help others

Woman embarks on 5,000-mile walk to raise awareness of registry
Jeana Moore, a 57-year-old woman whose granddaughter was cured of leukemia through a bone marrow transplant, has committed to a 5,000-mile cross-country walk in order to raise awareness about the need for more people to sign up with the National Marrow Donor Program as potential donors. Moore is now halfway through her journey and is aiming to get 20,000 people to sign up for the registry.  Oklahoman (Oklahoma City), The (8/1)

Blood Analyzers bring faster treatment in Iraq

The Maysan Provincial Reconstruction Team with support from Battery A, 3rd Battalion, 29th Field Artillery Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, recently provided the Ministry of Health with six Beckman Coulter Auto Blood Analyzers.

via DVIDS – News – Blood Analyzers bring faster treatment in Maysan.

Darpa’s Lab-Grown Blood Starts Pumping [or not]

IF anyone can do this it is DARPA, though I still doubt it.  Not yet.  The article is notable for the picture of the military blood banker at the ASBPC.’

The blood was produced using hematopoietic cells, derived from umbilical cord-blood units. It’s a trick that scientists have pulled off for years. The hard part is making quantities of red stuff that are large enough for military or medical utility. Currently, it takes Arteriocyte scientists three days to turn a single umbilical cord unit into 20 units of RBC-packed blood. The average soldier needs six units during trauma treatment

via Darpa’s Lab-Grown Blood Starts Pumping [Corrected] | Danger Room | Wired.com.