Created by AVIS ISERNIA
Increase the involvement and retention of young blood donors and promote the culture of planned donation in the area of Isernia. Use new technologies to promote blood donations in the city and province of Isernia in order to: -Bring people (expecially youngs) closer to blood donation; -Combine the spontaneity of blood donation with needs of territory planning; -Make blood donors aware
Blood is not produced in laboratory and it cannot be substituted with other substances.
Blood donation is essential to save lives of who is affected from diseases like thalassemia, leukemia, hemophilia, but it’s also necessary in routine surgery (such as cesarean section and transplantation) and first aid (such as bleeding and burns).
In the next future the Blood Transfusion System will face the following social challenges:
Progressive aging of the population, with a consequent decrease in supply and increase in demand for blood;
Insufficient generational replacement of blood donors (today only 30% of donors are under 35 years old);
Contrast between the spontaneity of voluntary blood donation and the local collection planning.
Furthermore the recent events have demonstrated how the communication has a low efficiency in case of emergency for disaster strikes or in case of fake news.
Therefore the challenge stems from the need to contribute proactively to problem’s solution detected in Molise as in the rest of Italy: increase blood donations, involving young people, in order to guarantee, already today and even more in the next future, the self-sufficiency of the national transfusion system
We need solutions that while increasing young people understanding and engagement of blood donation, it also develops, tests and put into practice a model, financially sustainable, able to effectively spread the culture of scheduled blood donation and to create blood donation hubs of engagement at local community level.
In particular the challenge aims to achieve more efficiency in blood donation promotion to increase:
-The number of new young donors;
-The number of accesses by regular donors;
-The number of the scheduled blood donations, with greater efficiency and awareness;
-The staff reception capacity as it represents a fundamental moment in the recruitment of donors and in their retention over time.
The Molise Region has about 320.000 inhabitants, spread over a mainly mountainous territory and with a gradual aging of the population due mainly to the current socio-economic situation that forces the new generations to move where the job offer is greater.
This situation, in addition to reducing the number of potential donors, means that it’s very difficult to involve people in spreading the culture of donation.
For these reasons, the challenge is addressed to the young population of the Molise Region, trying to use a modern approach and a current language.
The social challenge is based in the city and province of Isernia, but the problem is widespread, especially in southern Italy.
The mission of the Challenge Owner, as blood donors association, is to support the "blood system" to achieve and maintain self-sufficiency based on 100% on voluntary periodic and free donations. For this reason the Challenge Owner has always conducted a constant action to promote and disseminate the culture of donation in close connection with the other regional players of the transfusion system (blood donors associations, hospitals, and so on). The members of the team are employees and collaborators of Avis who have suitable requisite and qualified experience to face the challenge.
Although the Challenge Owner is very active in promoting the culture of blood donation, the new social dynamics and the progressive aging of the population impose an evolution of the adopted approach, that requires the use of instruments calibrated for the millennial segment and the development of specific models that are, replicable, easily and economically sustainable, to ensure the dissemination and adoption of the scheduled blood donation culture by the new generations.
Solutions should:
Spread the culture of scheduled blood donation;
Increase and consolidate the involvement of young people;
Define a best practice model that is easily replicable and sustainable in other regions.
The Challenge Owner provides its commitment and expertise; it ensures consultancy and cooperation and it is committed to promote the challenge through continuous training of the people involved in the project, improving their engagement, simplifying their roles and using the most modern strategies.
The Challenge Owner also provides its network of contacts with other associations and institutions in the local and regional area, including other blood donors associations and hospitals.
The dissemination solution will then be followed, supported and developed in the 6 months project, and also, based on the results obtained, in order to continue any benefits produced, the Challenge Owner will evaluate whether to continue the proposed solutions with own resources even beyond the duration of the challenge, thus making the proposed solutions sustainable both economically and in terms of content.
The challenge concerns the donation of blood and its components.
Therefore, the proposed solutions must comply with all legal and ethical standards of reference in Italy, especially the privacy aspects for the protection of the processing of personal and sensitive data of both donors and patients.
