PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT

The National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland has an urgent need for African Americans to donate blood to help patients with sickle cell disease.  Sickle cell disease is an inherited blood disorder which affects more than 70,000 African American people in the USA.  Periodic blood transfusions can help manage and prevent the pain, strokes, organ damage and other severe complications of the disorder.  Blood from African American donors is closely matched to that of sickle cell patients and is particularly helpful in preventing these complications.  Please call the NIH Blood Bank at (301) 496-1048 to schedule a blood donation. You have what it takes to help our community give hope to those with sickle cell disease.  The number to call is (301) 496-1048 to make a difference.