Hood Theological Seminary will host a blood drive on Saturday, April 16, from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. The Community Bloodmobile of The Community Blood Center of the Carolinas (CBCC) will be in the parking lot next to the Security Office on the seminary campus at 1810 Lutheran Synod Drive.

Just prior to the drive, there will be a chapel service at 10:10 a.m. to celebrate life and to offer prayers for those needing blood and for those able to give blood. All donors are invited to join in prayer before donating blood.

While donors of all ethnicities are needed, “There is a critical need for blood donations from the African-American community,” said Dr. Mary Love, Hood Seminary adjunct professor and interim dean of students who organized the blood drive. “African-Americans are disproportionately impacted by certain diseases, such as sickle cell anemia, which are treated through blood transfusions.”

According to the CBCC, sickle cell anemia affects more than 80,000 people in the United States, 98 percent of whom are African-American. Many need periodic blood transfusions to help treat the effects of the disease. Certain blood types are unique to specific racial and ethnic groups, so it is crucial that the donor diversity match the patient diversity.

For example, U-negative and Duffy-negative blood types are unique to the African-American community. Therefore, sickle cell patients with these blood types must rely on donors with matching blood types in the African-American community. Blood from donors of the same ethnic background decreases the risk of complications for patients and is less likely to be rejected by the patient after a transfusion.

Having more African-American blood donors increases the likelihood that sickle cell patients here in our community will find the match they need. Also, increasing African American donations is vital because blood types O and B, the blood types of about 70 percent of African-Americans, are the blood types most in demand.

To schedule a time, please contact Dr. Love at 704-650-1411 or mlove@hoodseminary.edu.

The Community Blood Center of the Carolinas is an independent, locally-managed, non-profit community blood center. A member of America’s Blood Centers, a group of 72 independent blood centers that supplies 50 percent of the country’s blood, they are the primary blood supplier to the region’s patients and hospitals. CBCC’s mission is to be the steward of a community resource — life-saving blood. CBCC collects blood from the community to return it to the community at the lowest possible cost, consistent with the highest standards of quality.

Hood Theological Seminary is a graduate and professional school where intellectual discourse and ministerial preparation occur in tandem within the framework of a diverse community of faith; its student body currently comprises persons from many different denominations. Accredited by the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada, the Seminary is sponsored by the AME Zion Church and approved by the University Senate of the United Methodist Church.