The All-American Blood Buddy: Donor Motivation for Hemophilia and Other Chronic Disorders

A novel method of enlisting donors for hemophilia from among high school and college students will be presented. This method has been successfully used in New Jersey and in less than two years of operation has recruited thousands of donors specifically for hemophilia. The program is built on a particular philosophy of responsibility for blood replacement which enhances the importance of the donor in the process of giving blood. The program is aimed at those who would not ordinarily donate blood under conventional recriutment programs.

This system is applicable to other regions and other chronic blood disorders. It has also been proven successful in motivating donors at ages other than the originally intended group. The importance of this approach to both the hemophiliac and the community at large is discussed. Statistics supporting the success and necessity of the program will be presented. We shall also present arguments which refute common criticisms of our system.