Caring for Those Who Share: Improving the Health of Wisconsin Blood Donors

Caring for Those Who Share: Improving the Health of Wisconsin Blood Donors

Blood donors are a precious community resource. Each month at Blood Center of Wisconsin (BCW), 200 men and 600 women over age 50 are turned away ("deferred") because of anemia. In those over 50, anemia may signal serious underlying disease such as colorectal cancer (CRC). CRC is the #3 cause of cancer death in Wisconsin with more than 1,000 deaths in 2006. Yet with proper testing CRC outcomes can be improved by early diagnosis. This project will focus on a population of deferred older blood donors to develop and test educational materials that will motivate donors to seek medical attention for their anemia, so that the underlying cause is diagnosed and treated. This project has the potential to lead to better CRC outcomes in Wisconsin blood donors.

Inclusion Criteria:

• adult blood donors who have been "deferred" (not allowed to donate) due to low blood count, specifically all male donors found to have hematocrit < 38% and to all female donors over 50 years old found to have hematocrit < 36%

Exclusion Criteria:

• deferred donors who have previously donated more than 3 times in the past year, as their anemia is more likely due to frequent donation
• women less than 50 years old