|
 |
|
Members of the Latino Caucus held a
press conference with LifeSource at the Thompson Donor Center in
January. Pictured from left are: Senator William Delgado, Illinois
Legislative Latino Caucus Co-Chair; Senator Iris Martinez; Margaret
Vaughn, Illinois Coalition of Community Blood Centers; Igael Hamburg,
City Region Director; Roxanne Tata, LifeSource Vice President and
Chief Operating Officer; Fernando Solares, Central Region Director;
and State Rep. Dan Burke. |
In honor of National Volunteer Blood Donor Month, LifeSource and the
Illinois Coalition of Community Blood Centers held a joint press
conference with members of the Latino Caucus to reach Latino donors. The
first conference was held at the State Capitol in Springfield and the
second at our own Thompson Donor Center.
Vice-Chairman of the Senate Public Health Committee, Illinois
Legislative Latino Caucus Co-Chair William Delgado, spoke of the
importance of blood donation among the Latino Community and emphasized
the need for more minorities across the state to become regular blood
donors. “As community leaders, it is important to get the message out
among our constituencies on the critical need to donate blood. Blood
donation tends to be taken for granted and people often think that there
will be enough blood because ‘someone else will donate.’ I am
challenging everyone today to make a New Year’s Resolution that will
save lives – become a blood donor,” said Sen. Delgado.
A recent study by the University of Texas revealed that Latinos are more
likely than the average American to have type O blood. Studies have
shown much higher rates of type O blood in Latin America – 62 percent in
Guatemala and 71 percent in Mexico.
“During my career in law enforcement, I have seen how critical blood can
be in times of accidents and emergencies – and how important it is to
have immediate access to a safe blood supply,” said Representative Ed
Acevedo, Co-Chair of the Illinois Legislative Latino Caucus. “I would
like to thank the blood centers of Illinois for the tremendous job they
do in ensuring this is possible.”
“Brightening lives through blood donation means recipients and their
families may have a gift of life and a renewed promise of hope,” said
Roxanne Tata, Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. “Holidays,
busy travel schedules, inclement weather and illness all contribute to
make winter months a time when blood is often in short supply.”
Tata added, “As National Volunteer Blood Donor Month, January is a time
for us to thank those donors who have made the commitment to donate
blood regularly. Blood donors are not only heroes to the patients who
receive blood, but also to the family and friends who have that loved
one still in their life.”
State Senator Iris Martinez said that education and raising public
awareness are the keys to increasing donations among the Latino
community. “We have to reach out to our family, friends, and neighbors
and let them know what a difference they can make by donating blood.”
|
