MO HCR15

Designates December 15, 2013, as "American Red Cross Minority Blood Drive Day" in Missouri to honor Dr. Charles Richard Drew, an African-American physician and blood transfusion research pioneer.

Acknowledges that over 80,000 people in the United States, 98% of whom are African-American, are affected by sickle cell disease and require blood transfusions.

Notes that African-American patients seeking bone marrow transplants face difficulty finding unrelated donors due to underrepresentation in donor registries and variations in HLA-types within African ancestry populations.

Recognizes the American Red Cross's efforts to partner with African-American and Hispanic-American communities to increase minority blood donations through education, health fairs, and recruitment of diverse workforce members.

Encourages Missouri citizens to participate in activities honoring Dr. Drew's contributions to establishing the American Red Cross blood bank and organizing the world's first blood bank drive.