The American Red Cross provides life-saving services to people all across the nation including seniors, veterans, and active-duty military personnel, people with disabilities, and those facing natural disasters. The organization was founded in 1881 and they have been doing important work to improve the wellbeing of Americans ever since.
Their work saves lives and has improved access to medical care. To celebrate American Red Cross Month, let’s take a look at some of the organization’s greatest contributions to accessibility and the disability community.
Emergency preparedness
The American Red Cross provides emergency preparedness training and disaster relief services. They have assisted in notable disasters such as Hurricane Katrina, the earthquake in Haiti, the California wildfires, and Hurricane Ida.
They even have emergency preparedness and response training and resources specifically based on preparing people with disabilities for disasters. This is very important, as people with disabilities have unique needs and challenges when it comes to preparing for emergencies and evacuations.
Their volunteers also travel to devastated areas to provide medical care, food, shelter, and mental health support for those impacted by disasters, People with disabilities are often disproportionately impacted by disaster due to disruptions in accessing medical care, difficulty evacuating, and financial difficulties as many Americans with disabilities live on fixed incomes and are allowed minimal savings while on SSI or SSDI. The American Red Cross has a dedicated Disability Integration team to ensure that the needs of those with disabilities are met in the wake of disasters.
The American Red Cross regularly works with FEMA and state governments on disaster response and making sure that the needs of those with disabilities are met. The organization helps ensure that emergency shelters are accessible and inclusive. They help find accommodating shelters and safe spaces for those with service animals, emotional service animals, and pets. Many people with disabilities rely on their animals for medical or emotional support, and shelter and evacuation areas are not always set up for animals.
Providing access to donor blood for medical treatment
The American Red Cross provides nearly 40% of the nation’s blood supply. This blood is used to help accident or burn victims, heart surgery patients, organ transplant recipients, cancer patients, and others in need. Their work to encourage and process blood donation saves countless lives and improves surgery and transplant outcomes.
Caregiver training
The American Red Cross also provides caregiver and CNA training. Approximately 39.8 million caregivers in the United States provide care to adults with a disability or illness. Caregivers play an important role in maintaining the health of many people with disabilities.
The American Red Cross also has classes on basic life support (BLS) and CPR training to help all citizens learn to provide life-saving emergency support to their community.
Preparing more members of the community for emergencies results in better outcomes for those who do experience medical crises such as cardiac events, breathing difficulty, and major accidents and injuries.
Smoke alarm installation and fire preparedness
The American Red Cross also created an initiative to install smoke alarms in all homes. They provide smoke alarms to low-income households that cannot afford to buy one or replace a dead one. They also offer to install smoke alarms for elderly or disabled people that cannot physically install a smoke alarm in their home. If you are in need of a smoke alarm, reach out to your local Red Cross chapter. This initiative has been going since 2014, and they’ve installed 2,240,558 smoke alarms since then.
They can also help you create an emergency kit and plan your evacuation route in case of a fire or other emergency. If you live in an area impacted by wildfires this is especially important. It’s important for everyone to have a disaster plan and emergency kit, but it's even more imperative for people with disabilities. Those with disabilities will need medications, medical devices, or other healthcare supplies in their evacuation bags. They may also have transportation or mobility challenges that require special planning in the event of an evacuation. It’s always best to have these things figured out in advance and the American Red Cross is a great resource to help.
Access assistance or support the American Red Cross
If you need assistance with any of the services discussed above, reach out to your local American Red Cross chapter. You can locate your local chapter by entering your zip code on the American Red Cross’ website. You can also visit their website to volunteer, locate a local blood drive, or donate to support their services and expand access to health and emergency care.
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