Blood is Essential to Life

By Bro. Terrance Kinard / Sigma Tau Chapter / El Paso, TX
Sigma Tau Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., held their Annual Brother Dr. Charles R. Drew Memorial Blood Drive on June 3, 2023. The event was held at Bassett Place Mall in Central El Paso, and it was sponsored by Vitalant Health. The Brothers of Sigma Tau Chapter and Vitalant Health collaborated to provide educational materials, snacks and refreshments to the donors and community. Statistics show that a blood transfusion is required every two seconds in the United States and blood transfusions are one of the most critical treatments for patients with chronic illnesses, such as sickle cell disease. One in three African Americans is a match for people with sickle cell, making them especially important blood donors for patients with the disease. Brother Vice Basileus Robert Majette, Blood Drive Chairman, has coordinated with Vitalant Health to host Blood Drives quarterly.
The Brother Dr. Charles R. Drew Memorial Blood Drive is part of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc health initiative, and this year’s event was held on Dr. Drew’s birthday. Dr. Charles R. Drew was born on June 3, 1904, in Washington, DC. He was a distinguished pioneer in the medical field. His work on the banking of blood products and the logistics of collecting and distributing blood saved countless lives in the trenches of World War II and the wards of military and civilian hospitals, and many of the processes he developed are still in use today. In 1941, he was appointed the medical director of the first Red Cross blood bank and among his many innovations was the mobile blood donation station, later called “bloodmobiles.” In March of 1950, Brother Drew tragically died in a car accident enroute to attend a conference of African American physicians.