NAAC's Anemia & Blood Donation Initiatives

The National Anemia Action Council (NAAC) is dedicated to raising the awareness of healthcare professionals and the public regarding the prevalence, symptoms, consequences, and treatment options of anemia. One population affected by anemia is volunteer blood donors. Since 10% of all blood donation attempts result in deferral due to low blood count, NAAC is engaging in efforts to help educate and improve the health of this valuable population.¹

Healthier Wisconsin Partnership Program

NAAC has partnered with the BloodCenter of Wisconsin and the Medical College of Wisconsin to educate blood donors who are deferred because of a low blood count. With the help of a grant from the Healthier Wisconsin Partnership Program, NAAC and its partners initiated a one-year pilot study for the purpose of improving the health of blood donors by educating and motivating them to seek medical attention for anemia. This study, called "Caring for Those Who Share: Improving the Health of Wisconsin Blood Donors," commenced on July 1, 2008 and will be completed on June 30, 2009. With the data and results gained from the Wisconsin participants, the partners hope to enlarge the program.

Stay tuned for the details and results of this study after its completion.

Healthy People 2010

The National Anemia Action Council supports the Healthy People 2010 Initiative. Healthy People 2010 is a statement of national health objectives designed to identify the most significant preventable threats to health and to establish national goals to reduce these threats. One of the preventable threats to health identified in Healthy People 2010 is iron deficiency and anemia.

In 2008, NAAC added a tremendous amount of information about iron, iron deficiency, and iron deficiency anemia on our website. We started to contact, and will continue to contact various healthcare and government agencies, and healthcare professional societies to alert them that information is available on our website. Also, don't forget to tell a friend who might benefit from knowledge on the NAAC website and Anemia & Blood Donation section.

Healthy People 2020 Consortium

The National Anemia Action Council is a member of the Healthy People 2020 Consortium. As a member of this group, NAAC will have the opportunity to network with other agencies and organizations around the country that use Healthy People to plan programs and initiatives about chosen health objectives such as anemia. In a few weeks, the Healthy People 2020 website will post all the objectives for the 2020 version of this plan for the public to review and comment on.

We will let you know when this is available.