Red Cross celebrates Medical Laboratory Professionals Week

By Alana Mauger

The American Red Cross joins organizations across the U.S. to celebrate the 49th Medical Laboratory Professionals Week, recognizing clinical and public health laboratory professionals for their contributions to the health of our communities. The Red Cross employs more than 2,200 laboratory and manufacturing team members who work at 146 labs and product distribution facilities across the country. Together, they process, test and distribute approximately 6.4 million blood products each year.

Philadelphia is home to two national Red Cross laboratories – The National Reference Laboratory for Specialized Testing (NRLST) and The National Molecular Laboratory (NML) – as well as one of five Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) Testing Labs and one of 45 Immunohematology Reference Laboratories (IRL) in the U.S. All blood products collected in Southeastern Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware are processed in Philadelphia’s Manufacturing Lab, which is one of 22 in the country.

Meet some of the extraordinary professionals who work in our Philadelphia laboratories.

Potent Wu-Zheng

Red Cross Quality Control laboratory supervisor Potent Wu-Zheng

A former Emergency Medical Technician (EMT), Potent Wu-Zheng has worked at the Red Cross as a Quality Control laboratory supervisor for about two years. In that role, he oversees the manufacturing of blood and platelet products.

He shared, “What I like most about my job is the satisfaction of manufacturing products that help save lives.”

Nayara Visco

National Reference Laboratory assistant Nayara Visco.

Nayara Visco is a laboratory assistant in the National Reference Laboratory for Special Testing (NRLST). In that role, she is responsible for receiving patient samples, overseeing reagents and laboratory supplies and distributing patient reports. Before coming to the Red Cross, Nayara worked for a government health department in Brazil.

“I feel a sense of purpose and fulfillment knowing that my work directly contributes to saving lives in an organization with such great values like the American Red Cross,” she shared.

Daria Buono

National Molecular Laboratory lead technologist Daria Buono.

Daria Buono is a lead technologist in the National Molecular Laboratory, where she oversees the workflow of the molecular lab, handles orders from hospitals and writes patient reports. Having a background in biochemistry and chemistry, Daria started at the Red Cross as a molecular technologist before moving into her current role.

“I like the impact that we make as a lab on the real world and patients,” she said. “I enjoy the oversight of lab functions to make sure we are meeting quality standards.”

Career Opportunities

The American Red Cross has a variety of career opportunities in Laboratory Services and Manufacturing. To learn more about available roles, visit the career center at redcross.org.

Donate platelets to commemorate Bleeding Disorders Awareness Month

By Nathan Fligelman

Graphic: March is Bleeding Disorders Awareness Month

March is Bleed Disorders Awareness Month, which calls attention to inheritable blood and bleeding disorders like hemophilia and von Willebrand disease.

Bleeding disorders are conditions in which blood cannot clot properly within a human body. Normal clotting involves the grouping together of platelets, which are critical cellular components within our blood. Platelets form a bandage-like cover to prevent excessive blood loss when a blood vessel is damaged. When you have a cut, platelets are what coagulate (join together) to prevent the blood from leaking out of your body. For people with a bleeding disorder, platelets malfunction, making it hard to prevent blood loss when a body is injured.  

Hemophilia and von Willebrand disease are the most common bleeding disorders in the U.S. Hemophilia is a rare, inherited bleeding disorder that can range from mild to severe, depending on how much clotting factor is present in the blood. Hemophilia is classified as type A or type B, based on which type of clotting factor is missing. Von Willebrand disease is an inherited condition that results when the blood lacks functioning von Willebrand factor, a protein that helps the blood to clot and also carries another clotting protein, factor VIII.

Patients with moderate to severe bleeding disorders may require transfusions of blood, platelets or clotting factors. Clotting factors may be donated human blood products or lab-synthesized proteins. Patients with severe bleeding disorders may receive clotting factor transfusions as a preventive measure. While there are no cures at present for bleeding disorders, gene therapies are being developed.

Platelet donations are often a lifesaving treatment for people with bleeding disorders. During a platelet donation, an apheresis machine collects your platelets along with some plasma, returning your red cells and most of the plasma back to you. A single donation of platelets can yield several transfusable units.

Platelets are collected at American Red Cross Blood Donation Centers only and are not collected at mobile blood drives. In Southeastern Pennsylvania, you can donate platelets in Horsham, West Chester and Philadelphia. Platelets have a shelf life of only 5 days from donation to transfusion, so they are always in great need. Learn more about platelet donations, then schedule an appointment to donate.

Red Cross volunteers make Oxford homes safer on Presidents Day

By Alana Mauger

Red Cross volunteers and community partners pose for a photo before breaking into teams to install smoke alarms in Oxford, Chester County. Photo by Bernadette Mathis/American Red Cross

American Red Cross Home Fire Campaign volunteers joined community partners on Presidents Day, Monday, Feb. 19, to make homes and families safer in Oxford, Chester County.

More than 50 people met at Penns Grove Middle School before breaking out into teams to install free smoke alarms and provide fire safety education for area families. In total, the teams installed 135 smoke alarms and educated 166 residents, making 58 Oxford homes safer.

Red Cross volunteers were joined by representatives from Chester County Emergency Services, Oxford Union Fire Department, United Way of Chester County and Oxford SILO. These organizations were instrumental in helping families recover following the large Sept. 13th fire on South Third Street in Oxford that destroyed a city block and displaced close to 100 people.

Since October 2014, the Red Cross Home Fire Campaign, working with community partners, has saved at least 2,022 lives, including 25 here in Southeastern Pennsylvania, by educating families about fire safety, helping them create escape plans and installing free smoke alarms in high-risk areas across the country. To learn more about the campaign and how you can get involved, visit redcross.org/homefires.

Visit our Flickr album to view additional event photos.

Keep your furry friends safe this winter

By Robert Ambrose

NOAA graphic – Don’t Forget Your Pets. Even with a natural fur coat, winter can be deadly for your pets unless proper care is given. Keep them warm and dry and indoors whenever possible. Provide plenty of food and water. Dehydration is especially dangerous in winter. When outside, keep them bundled up. Limit outdoor time and thoroughly clean (including paws) when bringing them inside. weather.gov.

Keeping your pet safe in winter is important. Just as you would not walk around without a jacket in extreme cold, there are certain steps to keeping your pet safe. Bring your pet inside where it is warmer than winter cold. Dogs and cats cannot tolerate the cold anymore than humans can. Long-haired dogs and cats have resistance to the cold more than short-haired dogs and cats. Don’t shave your pet down to the skin because that extra hair is protection. Diseased pets with diabetes, heart or kidney disease cannot regulate their internal temperature as well as a healthy pet. In fact, dogs and cats can develop arthritis, so have the veterinarian check every year.

Extra food in the winter must compensate only for additional calories needed while outside. A veterinarian can calibrate the amount. Staying in the acceptable weight range is imperative. But adding pet food to gain weight to offset winter in general is a health risk.  (Obesity presents year-round health risks).

If bringing your pet inside your house is not possible, please get them some shelter. A heated water bowl placed off the ground to prevent (freezing water) and a thick pet bed pad to keep the animal safe is critical. Change the water often. Also, make sure that the pet can access its food. For example, a snow drift might prevent the animal from finding the food and water so you need to fix that.

Going for a walk in the winter requires some extra steps. Give your dog a jacket or a sweater. All pets needs clean paws. Wipe your pet’s paws with a towel to remove salt and snow-melt from sidewalks and the driveway. Wipe the belly because your loved animal might have absorbed some antifreeze, a toxic chemical to pets.

One easily overlooked problem: winter wonderland might give you a beautiful lake or river to walk across the ice. Skip that option because if your dog breaks through the ice, then you try to save it. Consequently, you’re both wet and in danger of dying from hypothermia.

Travelling with your pet is not great because the car can become cold quickly. Do not leave your pet unattended.

Since you probably stay home more in the winter than the other months, take care with the space heaters. Pets can tip them over – and that can start a fire. Use carbon monoxide detectors to monitor the indoor air for that deadly odorless gas and test the furnace before ultra-cold weather sets in (next season).

If your pet was outside for an undue duration, whining, slowing down and anxiety are alerts to bring the pet inside quickly. Consulting a veterinarian immediately may be needed since frostbite may be setting in.

If you have livestock, then a veterinarian can help you prepare pregnant and young animals for winter. Sheltering your animals from the wind is critical as is removing ice to prevent injury. Fresh water for drinking is a requirement just like with the companion dog and cats.

Visit our website or download our free Pet First Aid App for more tips.

New Red Cross volunteer and U.S. citizen Norm Phillips shares his story

By Maureen Zug

Service to the Armed volunteer Norm Phillips. Submitted photo

Like many of us, Norm Phillips took advantage of the pandemic to consider the possibility of doing volunteer work.

“I gave myself pretty good marks as a husband, a father and in my professional career, but an F- as a volunteer thus far,” he shared. “I decided that I wanted to rectify this situation.”

Norm’s journey to the American Red Cross began in London, Canada, which is located between Toronto and Detroit. Even as a teenager, he showed a strong desire to move to the United States. After completing university, he signed on with Johnson & Johnson in the pharmaceutical division. It took 17 years, but Norm and his family were finally able to immigrate to the U.S.

With Norm working at Johnson & Johnson’s headquarters in in Raritan, New Jersey, the Phillips family was able to get their permanent green cards in 1993. Norm soon became inspired by the devotion to duty that many of his colleagues and their family members showed toward the military. So when he decided to up his volunteer game, the American Red Cross Service to the Armed Forces (SAF) was an obvious choice.

He applied for the volunteer role of resilience coordinator, which helps the SAF leadership team manage free Red Cross resiliency programming for members of the military, veterans and their families. This includes workshops led by licensed behavioral health facilitators, career counseling and mentoring, among other services.

In addition to becoming a Red Cross volunteer, Norm took another big step this summer. With their adult children and grandchildren already being U.S. citizens, Norm and his wife decided to apply for citizenship and study for the required test that covers civics and American History. At last, on August 1, Norm and his wife attained their goal and became citizens.

A few fun facts about Norm – When he’s not volunteering with the Red Cross SAF team, he is a “super” Philly sports fan with season tickets for the Eagles, Phillies and Flyers! He is also a Gordon Lightfoot and Martin Guitar devotee. And, as a tribute to his Canadian heritage, a Gordon Lightfoot-autographed print of the Edmund Fitzgerald freighter hangs on Norm’s wall.

Stay safe while shopping online this holiday season

By Robert Ambrose

“Keyboard Shop Icon” by Animated Heaven 3d, published under CC0 Public Domain license.

For just a moment longer, can your device hold out from hackers to read this blog post about safe online holiday shopping?

Cyber attacks are in the news against major merchants, but cyber attacks affect individuals’ financial or computer health as well. For example, identity theft can result in substantial sums of money fraudulently spent – in your name. Also, cyber attacks could restrict your access to your data.  Then they ask for a fee.

Instead of enduring such a digital setback this holiday online shopping season, take precaution in advance. First, keep your software systems current. In other words, if there are available updates, download them. If you want to skip figuring which updates apply to manually download them, there is an auto-update feature. Next, use strong passwords – not your name or your birthdate. Another important tip is to consider the validity of an offer before your click into it. For example, if the offer if urgently time-sensitive, it may be just a way to hustle you into a rip-off arrangement of some kind.

Obviously, there are other steps you can take to prevent hacking. Use a secure internet connection and change your passwords regularly. In fact, I heard that if you fail to change your wifi’s router’s password when you install it, then the factory “default” password is easy for digital thieves to guess based on the router’s make and model. Additionally, do not share your pin or password. A great idea is to use antivirus software; Microsoft Security essentials is free of charge.

Every fraud prevention article must tell you that the government will not call or contact via social media to tell you that you owe money. A telephone call offering fantastic work-from-home jobs, debt consolidation, and student repayment schemes should all be suspected as fraud.

Unfortunately, someone routinely seems to be a victim to digital fraud. So what should you do when you suspect cyber fraud? Check your credit and bank card statements and report unauthorized charges. Credit reports can tell you if someone borrowed money in your name. Change passwords immediately if you see fraudulent charges.   

Professionals or you can scan your device for viruses. “Ccleaner” is a free online download to scan and possibly liberate your device. I can only vouch for Cclearner. Also, like CPR for a computer, a full system restore can bring your device back.

If you have been hacked, tell the bank and IC3, the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center. The FTC will receive complaints from a victim who witnesses a fraudster claiming to be a government agent. The Social Security Administration would like to know if someone abused your SSN for their benefit. The state DMV wants to know if your driver’s license was used fraudulently. Last the US Secret Service receives online crime complaints in the Electronic Crimes Task Force and the Internet Crime Complaint Center.  

Thieves might have all day to hack into a neighbor’s system. The simple prevention steps can avoid a lot of delay. Get more tips from the U.S. Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency.

Understanding air quality alerts: Protecting your health and the environment

By Samantha Antenucci

NOAA graphic: Understanding the Air Quality Index (AQI).

Philadelphia, like many urban centers, faces challenges related to air quality. Poor air quality can have a significant impact on both public health and the environment. Due to pollutants and the most recent wildfires sweeping through the East Coast, Philadelphia has established an air quality alert system to keep residents informed and safe. The system utilizes the Air Quality Index (AQI). This standardized measurement provides information about the quality of the air and its potential health effects.

The AQI categorizes air quality into several levels, each corresponding to a different level of health concern:

1. Good (0-50): Air quality is considered satisfactory, and air pollution poses little risk.
2. Moderate (51-100): Air quality is acceptable; however, there may be a moderate health concern for a small number of people who are unusually sensitive to air pollution.
3. Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups (101-150): Members of sensitive groups, such as children, older adults, and individuals with respiratory or heart conditions, may experience health effects. The general public is not likely to be affected.
4. Unhealthy (151-200): Everyone may begin to experience health effects; members of sensitive groups may experience more severe health effects.
5. Very Unhealthy (201-300): Health alert: everyone may experience more serious health effects.
6. Hazardous (301-500): Health warnings of emergency conditions. The entire population is more likely to be affected.

Residents can access real-time data through various channels, including local news, government websites, and smartphone weather apps, to stay informed about Philadelphia’s air quality. When air quality alerts are issued, it’s essential to take appropriate actions to protect your health and well-being:

• Limit Outdoor Activities: During days with poor air quality, especially for sensitive groups, it’s advisable to reduce outdoor activities and exercise indoors.
• Improve Indoor Air Quality: Improve indoor air quality by using air purifiers and ensuring proper ventilation at home and workplaces.
  • Keep your windows and doors closed to prevent outdoor smoke and pollutants from entering your home.
  • Use Air purifiers with HEPA filters to remove particles from indoor air.
• Wear Masks: Consider wearing a mask labeled as N95 or N99 if you need to be outdoors during periods of high pollution. These masks can filter out fine particles effectively.
• Avoid Adding Indoor Pollutants: Refrain from using candles, smoking, or gas stoves, which can contribute to indoor air pollution.
• Keep an Eye on Vulnerable Groups: Pay extra attention to children’s health, older adults, pregnant people, and individuals with preexisting respiratory or cardiovascular conditions. Consider moving them to areas with cleaner air.
• Stay Prepared: Have an emergency kit ready, including essential medications, water, and supplies in case air quality deteriorates rapidly.
  • Adding essential medications to your emergency kit, especially those for people with COPD, asthma, and other respiratory conditions, is vital when preparing for air quality emergencies.

Philadelphia’s air quality alert system safeguards public health and the environment. By understanding the Air Quality Index and taking appropriate actions during poor air quality days, residents can minimize their exposure to pollutants and contribute to a cleaner, healthier city. Philadelphia can continue its journey toward better air quality through collective efforts and informed decision-making.

The Americans with Disabilities Act turns 33

By Robert Ambrose

ADA 33 (1990-2023) Americans with Disabilities Act. Celebrate the ADA! July 26, 2023. Credit: ADA National Network (adata.org) 1-800-949-4232

People with disabilities are probably undercounted in our everyday thinking. For example, when we think of people with disabilities, we think of people who use wheelchairs. But the term disability extends to people with short stature, people with hearing or vision limitations and special education students. All of them deserve our respect. Because of the required courage to work with one’s setbacks, they can inspire us in our own lives. Also, simply helping a person in a wheelchair if they need a door opened in public, for example, costs no money.

We are all in this life together.

Today compared to hundreds of years ago, we all benefit with tech development in travel. But technology also enhances mobility for people with physical disabilities. Technology like wheelchairs and elevators make fast mobility possible for people with disabilities. One person on TV in an electric wheelchair is in Madrid, Spain, a politician who regularly makes declarations. But tech aside, it’s the people’s character that counts.

Charisma appeared to play a current role in Spain’s Pablo Echenique’s job. Back home, our 32nd U.S. President, Franklin D Roosevelt, won four presidential terms in his wheelchair. In fact, one source said that “Americans were not shaken by his disability.”

Disability affects many people with nearly 20% of Americans having a disability of some kind. Unfortunately, men with a disability have a higher rate of unemployment than men without disability, according to the World Health Organization. Of the disabled people in the US, 70% rely on family and friends for help. 

Fast forward to this month, our nation will celebrate National Disability Independence Day/Americans with Disabilities Act Anniversary. Observed on July 26, this day recognizes the civil rights guarantee which is afforded to every person who is disabled. The new expanded rights helped people with disability in the areas of independent living, public accommodation, jobs, transportation, state and local government services and self-sufficiency. On that day in US history in 1990 the Americans with Disability Act (ADA) officially made discrimination a thing of the past for people with disabilities.

We see one clear ADA overhaul as we walk on sidewalks. The sloped sidewalks encourage people with disabilities to stay on the sidewalks rather than move in the streets. How did we get there?  “Title II of the ADA requires state and local governments to make pedestrian crossings accessible to people with disabilities by providing curb ramps.” To make good on that earlier claim that we are all in this life together: we all are also traveling together – on sidewalks.

Red Cross volunteer shares her experience as a Blood Program Leader

By Ava Arteaga

Red Cross volunteer and Blood Program Leader Ava Arteaga. Submitted photo

I love all of my Red Cross experiences, but one that’s especially special to me was hosting a blood drive as a Blood Program Leader. I want to share with you a bit about my experience and how it all came to be.

It started when I became a Community Engagement Co-Chair for Temple University’s UNICEF club, called UNICEF x Temple. I wanted to start off in this position by bringing an important event to the group – something humanitarian and community oriented. As I’m already an active Red Cross volunteer, I looked no further and had a blood drive in mind! I set up a meeting with a Donor Recruitment account manager named Kathy Wenig and got to work.

The first step was securing a campus room for the drive on a date when the Red Cross staff would be available. I was given a list of potential dates and quickly found a large space at school that would be perfect. I specifically chose the Student Center so it would be open to students and open to the public! Kathy Wenig was incredibly helpful in sending over resources, marketing materials and recruitment strategies.

Successful recruitment was important to me. We had 39 slots to be filled, and I was gung-ho in getting each and every single one scheduled. The UNICEF x Temple Club was paramount helping make it happen. Our team reached out to professors, texted and emailed everyone we knew in Philadelphia, posted and reposted on social media and attached printed flyers all around campus.

To keep track of scheduled donors, I logged into the Blood Program Leader portal through RedCrossBlood.org. I watched it like a hawk because each time I saw an increase in the number of donors, I was over the moon. Slowly but surely, we filled all 39 slots!

The remainder of my duties as a Blood Program Leader were limited. Under my Red Cross login, I was able to send out pre-written email reminders to everyone who was scheduled for a donation, along with including a personalized message. I also included before and after donation health tips and encouraged folks to complete their RapidPass® for a speedy and easy donation.

On the day of the blood drive, we had an incredible turnout of 33 blood donors. To assist with check-ins and refreshments, we arranged shifts for UNICEF x Temple volunteers. Many of us volunteered ourselves! I donated, volunteered and then had to pop out to attend classes. With the help of my campus organization, everything ran smoothly and beyond expectations.

Overall, organizing a Red Cross blood drive felt empowering and meaningful from start to finish. Up to 72 lives could be saved as a result of this event! I am thrilled with what we were able to contribute, as I believe saving simply one life is a miracle. If you want to take action in a purposeful way, your search is over. Become a Blood Program Leader and feel the miracles yourself. Lives are awaiting!

World Sickle Cell Day underscores the need for diverse blood donors

Editor’s Update: Joan Lambright sadly passed away on Aug. 10, 2023. Our hearts go out to Joan’s family and friends and to the many people she inspired.

Red Cross graphic: World Sickle Cell Day

By Alana Mauger

Monday, June 19th is an important day for celebration and awareness. It marks Juneteenth, our newest federal holiday and a day of reflection and pride that commemorates the ending of slavery in the United States.

It’s also World Sickle Day, established by the United Nations in 2008 and commemorated every June 19th to increase awareness about sickle cell disease – the most common genetic disorder in the U.S. An estimated 100,000 people in the U.S. are living with sickle cell disease, most of whom are of African and Latinx descent.

Sickle cell disease causes red blood cells to be hard and crescent-shaped – like a sickle – instead of soft and round, making it difficult for blood to flow smoothly and carry oxygen adequately to the rest of the body. Patients can experience complications like severe pain, anemia, infections, stroke and organ damage.

“Your blood cells are round and mine are sickle. When my blood sickles, it clumps together,” shared Joan Lambright, who, at age 84, is one of the oldest adults living with sickle cell disease in the U.S.

The retired Philadelphia Public School teacher says the condition causes unbearable pain, which was misunderstood throughout her childhood.

“I knew there were some days where I could run and jump like any other child, and some days I was in the bed at home, or sometimes in the hospital,” she said.

Joan credits her parents’ strength, especially her father, with helping her not only cope with, but thrive in spite of sickle cell disease. When doctors projected that she wouldn’t live beyond her teenage years, her father encouraged her to focus on living fully.

In addition to her father’s strength and optimism, blood transfusions sustained, and at times saved, her life.

“I am here because of your blood donations,” she shared.

Video: Sickle cell warrior Joan Lambright.

Blood transfusions help relieve a patient’s sickle cell disease symptoms by increasing the number of healthy red blood cells in the body, helping to deliver oxygen throughout the body and unblocking blood vessels. But ensuring hospitals have an adequate supply of the major blood types – O, A, B and AB – is only part of the equation.

There are more than 600 known antigens – substances on red blood cells that help determine your blood type – some of which are unique to specific racial and ethnic groups.  Patients who require regular blood transfusions, like those with sickle cell disease, need blood that is matched more closely to reduce possible complications. Therefore, a patient is more likely to find a compatible blood match from a donor of the same race or similar ethnic group.

The Red Cross is committed to maintaining a diverse blood supply to ensure the right blood product is available at the right time. Every blood and platelet donor has an important role in meeting that need. To become a donor, schedule an appointment at RedCrossBlood.org, call 1-800-RED-CROSS or download the free Blood Donor App.