A country without blood 'is not in a good place'- Stacy C. Abraham
During Talking Points on Monday, December 2, 2024, on ZBVI 780 AM, President of the Rotary Club of Tortola Abigail O’Neal said the grant came from District 7020, the Virgin Islands’ Rotary District.
The project, which will be launched soon, will center on a blood donor drive but will also include STD testing. “You have to know your health status in order to be a blood donor, so it’s a combination of STD screenings and general health screenings,” she explained.
Minimum 500 target set
The BVI Health Services Authority will provide the equipment for testing and lab use. Testing will occur at the Red Cross headquarters on Tortola and run for weeks into the New Year 2025.
Miss O’Neal said the goal is to screen a minimum of five hundred people. Residents of sister islands are encouraged to come to Tortola when the campaign begins to get screened to be a potential blood donor.
The process she explained “doesn’t take five minutes” and so residents from the sister islands can come in “on a day when they are in Tortola doing their business”.
Trained personnel & confidentiality
Meanwhile, Executive Director of the BVI Red Cross Mrs Stacy C. Abraham explained that volunteers trained in doing the testing will be present on testing days.
“All our volunteers sign a code of conduct, a confidentiality statement that bounds them to secrecy, and from there, it is a matter of doing the test and giving the results to individuals.”
Volunteers who are trained in psychosocial support will be on hand in the event the positive results are given. “It can be very devastating for them,” she added.
Some results like the HIV test are given immediately while others such as Syphilis and Herpes will need to be taken to the lab for testing.
Education & Awareness
Mrs Abraham added that they will also be educating members of the public
“As we all know we see these texts go around that say ‘X, Y, Z needs blood urgently’….Then people are calling the Red Cross because they know we have a donor list,” she said.
However, Mrs Abraham explained when people willing to donate blood are identified they do not meet the criteria due to various health reasons.
“A lot of it is education, is awareness, so that we could build up the blood bank so that we can ensure that we have blood supply in the Territory,” Mrs Abraham stated adding if you have a country without blood “you are not in a good place”.
Miss O’Neal added, “We will be doing a very intensive educational and promotional campaign about being a blood donor, the importance of regular blood donation, and knowing your status.”
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When volunteer donors regularly contribute blood, they receive a blood donation card that tracks the number of pints they have donated. This card provides them with priority access to pints stored at the blood bank for their own use or for those in need, based on their discretion. Donors simply need to present the card along with a record of their voluntary donations.