Emergency Blood Drives During the Covid-19 Pandemic: A New Model of Collaboration among UCSF Leadership, Medical Students, and a Community Partner
"The closure of public spaces during the Covid-19 pandemic has led to the cancellation of thousands of community blood drives — a major source of blood for hospitals. The United States is at risk for a secondary public health crisis if a continuous pipeline of community donations is not reestablished. At University of California San Francisco (UCSF), a multidisciplinary group formed to plan and execute a series of emergency blood drives with new protocols to minimize risk of Covid-19 transmission. The working group included UCSF medical students, senior faculty, health system leadership, School of Medicine deans, hospital and campus operations, and a major blood provider. The combined expertise of this group overcame administrative and safety hurdles to establish a replicable model of community-based donation and create an opportunity for people to contribute to a critical public health need. Here, they describe the formation of the working group, major hurdles and solutions, and their blood drive model."