MO HCR43

Designates May 15, 2015, as "American Red Cross Minority Blood Drive Day" in Missouri to honor Dr. Charles Richard Drew, an African-American physician who pioneered blood transfusion research and established the American Red Cross blood bank

Two million African-Americans (1 in 12) carry the sickle cell trait, and over 90,000 people in the U.S. have sickle cell disease, with 98% being African-American

African-American patients face greater difficulty finding bone marrow donors because they represent only 12% of the U.S. population and have more HLA-type variations than any other ethnic group

Blood type matching between African-American donors and patients is critical due to differences in HLA-type frequencies among ethnic groups

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