How To Get Blood Donors From Minority Groups: An Outline For Policy Implementation
PROPOSED INITIATIVES FOR POLICY IMPLEMENTATION
In order to stem the tide of blood donor apathy among Blacks and Asian communities in the UK, the NHSBT can employ the following initiatives for implementation. Some of these initiatives may have been adopted by some countries, however, the complexity of the socio/economic melieu calls for adjustments rather than 100% adoption. New initiatives are also listed here which can fast-track the success of BAME 2020 strategy and provide new models for implementing short-term, middle-term and long-term goals.
Making use of online global community to communicate to a large and diverse audience simultaneously for orientation (email backlinks, the use of social networking sites, etc.) The interconnectedness of our world has not only become an avenue for social interactions, it has also presented us a medium for marketing and sales, orientation of the public on government policies, as well as, public sensitization and awareness. For instance, Facebook fan pages could have titles such as; Africans for blood donations in the UK, Carribeans in the UK donate blood to save lives, Bangladeshis Mass Action on Blood Donation in the UK, We are Indians in the UK – we save lives by donating blood.
The essence of this is to create awareness within a sub-culture as distinct from the whole. The diversity of the NHSBT staff could be used as a starting point to bring this to fusion.
The social networking platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Webo can be used to generate sizeable fan page for prospective and regular blood donors.
Blood donation made easy, enjoyable and accessible (The Cabin blood bank). With a Population density of 269 per km2 and 697 people per sq. miles, the present list of 24 blood donor centres is not sufficient to create a revolutionary increase in blood donation among Blacks and Asians. The Cabin blood bank crew consist of 2-3 persons who access neighborhoods and public centres.
The presence of this mobile crew creates a sense of consciousness and can effectively lead to the registration of new donors. An aggregate of club supporters can take advantage of the presence of a Cabin crew to donate blood without having to go to any of the permanent centres.
The navigation of a Cabin crew into predominantly BAME communities in the UK must be a targeted effort. For instance, targeting people of Bangladeshi origins in London would require movement in and around London Borough of Tower Hamlets and London Borough of Newham, which both have a Bangladeshi population percentage of 32% and 12.1% respectively. The Cabin crew will operate to appeal to one or two specific ethnic groups per time. English and the prevailing native language can appear on the Cabin and tracts are distributed to passers-by.
Creating an atmosphere of funfair at the initial stage of the Cabin crew campaign, such as having a mascot dancing to the delight of blood donor prospects. The ‘carnivalization’ of the mobile Cabin donor center is an attempt to lure people to accept the fact that donating blood is not a rigid task. It can be fun and could be a means of relaxation and leisure. This in addition with video uploads of donors, which will be sent to the NHS online community for data entry and ascertaining blood donor activities. This is done through the use of hashtags (#) e.g. #idonateblood @NHSBT and posting selfies.
Celebrity Participation And Modelling
Celebrities in the sports, entertainment and show-biz industries have large followership and an explosive fan page on different social networking sites. As models, they can provide the influence needed to promote blood donation among BAME communities in the UK and to a large extent across the world. Every minority group within the UK have their cult heroes, whom are highly regarded and respected. Pakistani Cricket team members can help generate a revolution among their ethnic groups within the UK community. This can be achieved if policy formulators communicate directly with such policy influencers and making them aware of the important and urgent need to save lives.
An Instagram short post for instance, where an Indian movie star upload videos and pictures of his presence at a Cabin crew donating blood, could have a viral impact on many Indians living in the UK to do the same. The NHSBT can achieve this by selecting Celebrity Ambassadors for the specific BAME communities. The presence of a sports personality for instance inside a Cabin crew will no doubt create a group consciousness towards the event being promoted. The promise of a weekend away with a favourite celebrity can also be an effective tool to engage more people in donating blood.
Public Awareness Through The Staging Of Live Shows To Encourage Youth
Participation The United Nations recently launched a Global Citizen campaign, which targets millions of people worldwide to be pro-active by adding their voices to the mirage of problems in our world. The online campaign also culminates in the gathering of more than 6000 people for a live event in New York with notable musicians mounting the stage. The NHSBT can also adopt a somewhat similar approach by having a yearly event organized where a selected number of blood donors within a year meet. It could also sponsor regular blood donors to international conferences on health related issues. The National Black and Asian and Minority Transplant Association must be carried along in this regard so as to build the level of trust needed to inspire new blood donors.
The Use Of Mobile Applications which stores donor history, showcases the location of a Cabin, the availability of blood type (especially for Doctors and other Health Practitioners), Live streaming of blood donations, urgent blood donation appeal, will go a long way in making people pro-active. Such mobile application available for android, iphones and desktop computers can also serve as a link to invite others through once personal url which is generated after registration and update every 6 months. Individuals could also schedule a convenient time for themselves in any centre across the country.
This implies that a network of invitees can exist from the effort of an individual by inviting a friend to click on a link generated. This method is generated from the network marketing models being used by many pharmaceutical companies. The NHSBT may peg a down-line of invitees attached to a person at 10, 20, 50, 100, 1000, 2000, 5000 and so on, with different rewards for different milestones reached.
Rewards could be a form of partnership with the IRS on reduction in tax as is presently being done for people who give to charity. Annual recognition awards and citizenship rights can as well be in the kitty for individuals who made blood donations in BAME communities in the UK
In Conclusion, there is the need to understand the place of reward and leisure in getting people to donate blood regularly. It is also necessary to bridge the gap between the ‘we’ and ‘they’ dichotomy, which exists among ethnic groups in the UK by making use of the common enemy theory approach to underline the need for participation of BAME communities in blood donation activities. The understanding of the consequences of blood donor apathy must be portrayed from a rational, scientific approach rather than employing the fear factor.
Also, the safety challenges and the preconceived beliefs as regards the pure blood mentality must be adequately dealt with by consistent and persistent orientation. By investing in a reliable IT infrastructure and enhanced digital connections, which are in line with the 2020 strategic vision, the NHS Blood and Transplant can achieve a sustained donor base over a long period of time.
References:
∆ “2011 Census: Ethnic group, local authorities in the United Kingdom”. Office for National Statistics. 11th October 2013.
∆ Coleman, David; Paul Compton; John salt (2002). “The demographic characteristics of immigrant populations”.
∆ Taking Organ Transplantation to 2020 A detailed Strategy (www.nhsbt.
∆ Joseph Rowntree Foundation Reports. Poverty among ethnic groups: how and why does it differ?
∆ Zeeshan Ahmed et al. 2014. Knowledge, Attitude and Practices about Blood Donation among Undergraduate Medical Students in Karachi
In order to stem the tide of blood donor apathy among Blacks and Asian communities in the UK, the NHSBT can employ the following initiatives for implementation. Some of these initiatives may have been adopted by some countries, however, the complexity of the socio/economic melieu calls for adjustments rather than 100% adoption. New initiatives are also listed here which can fast-track the success of BAME 2020 strategy and provide new models for implementing short-term, middle-term and long-term goals.
Making use of online global community to communicate to a large and diverse audience simultaneously for orientation (email backlinks, the use of social networking sites, etc.) The interconnectedness of our world has not only become an avenue for social interactions, it has also presented us a medium for marketing and sales, orientation of the public on government policies, as well as, public sensitization and awareness. For instance, Facebook fan pages could have titles such as; Africans for blood donations in the UK, Carribeans in the UK donate blood to save lives, Bangladeshis Mass Action on Blood Donation in the UK, We are Indians in the UK – we save lives by donating blood.
The essence of this is to create awareness within a sub-culture as distinct from the whole. The diversity of the NHSBT staff could be used as a starting point to bring this to fusion.
The social networking platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Webo can be used to generate sizeable fan page for prospective and regular blood donors.
Blood donation made easy, enjoyable and accessible (The Cabin blood bank). With a Population density of 269 per km2 and 697 people per sq. miles, the present list of 24 blood donor centres is not sufficient to create a revolutionary increase in blood donation among Blacks and Asians. The Cabin blood bank crew consist of 2-3 persons who access neighborhoods and public centres.
The presence of this mobile crew creates a sense of consciousness and can effectively lead to the registration of new donors. An aggregate of club supporters can take advantage of the presence of a Cabin crew to donate blood without having to go to any of the permanent centres.
The navigation of a Cabin crew into predominantly BAME communities in the UK must be a targeted effort. For instance, targeting people of Bangladeshi origins in London would require movement in and around London Borough of Tower Hamlets and London Borough of Newham, which both have a Bangladeshi population percentage of 32% and 12.1% respectively. The Cabin crew will operate to appeal to one or two specific ethnic groups per time. English and the prevailing native language can appear on the Cabin and tracts are distributed to passers-by.
Creating an atmosphere of funfair at the initial stage of the Cabin crew campaign, such as having a mascot dancing to the delight of blood donor prospects. The ‘carnivalization’ of the mobile Cabin donor center is an attempt to lure people to accept the fact that donating blood is not a rigid task. It can be fun and could be a means of relaxation and leisure. This in addition with video uploads of donors, which will be sent to the NHS online community for data entry and ascertaining blood donor activities. This is done through the use of hashtags (#) e.g. #idonateblood @NHSBT and posting selfies.
Celebrity Participation And Modelling
Celebrities in the sports, entertainment and show-biz industries have large followership and an explosive fan page on different social networking sites. As models, they can provide the influence needed to promote blood donation among BAME communities in the UK and to a large extent across the world. Every minority group within the UK have their cult heroes, whom are highly regarded and respected. Pakistani Cricket team members can help generate a revolution among their ethnic groups within the UK community. This can be achieved if policy formulators communicate directly with such policy influencers and making them aware of the important and urgent need to save lives.
An Instagram short post for instance, where an Indian movie star upload videos and pictures of his presence at a Cabin crew donating blood, could have a viral impact on many Indians living in the UK to do the same. The NHSBT can achieve this by selecting Celebrity Ambassadors for the specific BAME communities. The presence of a sports personality for instance inside a Cabin crew will no doubt create a group consciousness towards the event being promoted. The promise of a weekend away with a favourite celebrity can also be an effective tool to engage more people in donating blood.
Public Awareness Through The Staging Of Live Shows To Encourage Youth
Participation The United Nations recently launched a Global Citizen campaign, which targets millions of people worldwide to be pro-active by adding their voices to the mirage of problems in our world. The online campaign also culminates in the gathering of more than 6000 people for a live event in New York with notable musicians mounting the stage. The NHSBT can also adopt a somewhat similar approach by having a yearly event organized where a selected number of blood donors within a year meet. It could also sponsor regular blood donors to international conferences on health related issues. The National Black and Asian and Minority Transplant Association must be carried along in this regard so as to build the level of trust needed to inspire new blood donors.
The Use Of Mobile Applications which stores donor history, showcases the location of a Cabin, the availability of blood type (especially for Doctors and other Health Practitioners), Live streaming of blood donations, urgent blood donation appeal, will go a long way in making people pro-active. Such mobile application available for android, iphones and desktop computers can also serve as a link to invite others through once personal url which is generated after registration and update every 6 months. Individuals could also schedule a convenient time for themselves in any centre across the country.
This implies that a network of invitees can exist from the effort of an individual by inviting a friend to click on a link generated. This method is generated from the network marketing models being used by many pharmaceutical companies. The NHSBT may peg a down-line of invitees attached to a person at 10, 20, 50, 100, 1000, 2000, 5000 and so on, with different rewards for different milestones reached.
Rewards could be a form of partnership with the IRS on reduction in tax as is presently being done for people who give to charity. Annual recognition awards and citizenship rights can as well be in the kitty for individuals who made blood donations in BAME communities in the UK
- Partnering with schools and Student Union bodies to launch DONATE BLOOD, SAVE A LIFE TODAY CAMPAIGN.
- Organizing writing contests for African and Asian Students on topics relating to blood donation and awarding winners at the proposed yearly summit.
- The need for Virtual Assistants to send texts or telephone calls to those who have contributed to the blood bank and encourage them to bring others.
- Targeting religious leaders (religion is an integral part of their lives). Mosques, churches and other religious organizations can serve as a point of call.
In Conclusion, there is the need to understand the place of reward and leisure in getting people to donate blood regularly. It is also necessary to bridge the gap between the ‘we’ and ‘they’ dichotomy, which exists among ethnic groups in the UK by making use of the common enemy theory approach to underline the need for participation of BAME communities in blood donation activities. The understanding of the consequences of blood donor apathy must be portrayed from a rational, scientific approach rather than employing the fear factor.
Also, the safety challenges and the preconceived beliefs as regards the pure blood mentality must be adequately dealt with by consistent and persistent orientation. By investing in a reliable IT infrastructure and enhanced digital connections, which are in line with the 2020 strategic vision, the NHS Blood and Transplant can achieve a sustained donor base over a long period of time.
References:
∆ “2011 Census: Ethnic group, local authorities in the United Kingdom”. Office for National Statistics. 11th October 2013.
∆ Coleman, David; Paul Compton; John salt (2002). “The demographic characteristics of immigrant populations”.
∆ Taking Organ Transplantation to 2020 A detailed Strategy (www.nhsbt.
∆ Joseph Rowntree Foundation Reports. Poverty among ethnic groups: how and why does it differ?
∆ Zeeshan Ahmed et al. 2014. Knowledge, Attitude and Practices about Blood Donation among Undergraduate Medical Students in Karachi
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