Saving Lives. The American Red Cross Story

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Did you know that every 2 seconds someone in the United States needs blood? Where does that blood come from? The American Red Cross, is a nonprofit humanitarian organization. It assists with disaster relief and provides emergency services to those in need. The American Red Cross has been around for aver 100 years and has come a long way in the process.

The American Red Cross was founded on May 21, 1881 by Clara Barton. In the late 1850’s she moved to Washington, D.C. to work in the United States Patent office. Clara Barton was one of the women to ever gain employment from the federal government. Clara wanted to help the soldiers of the Civil War so she gathered supplies for the Union Army. In 1862, Clara Barton was on the battlefield in Fredericksburg, Virgina, there she was helping wounded soldiers. She also helped soldiers who were hurt and involved in Antietam. During the early 1870s, Clara Barton was helping with a relief organization called the International Red Cross. When she returned home she decided to start an American branch.

The American Red cross was established to provide humanitarian relief and disaster relief to wars, American Soldiers, and victims affected by natural disaster. Some of the first relief efforts the American Red Cross coordinated were the 1889 Johnstown Flood and the Galveston Flood of 1900. During the first World War a Home Service program was established to give assistance to families of military personnel. Approximately 22,800 (18,000 were general field nurses 4,800 were ambulance drivers) American Red Cross nurses provided medical assistance for American soldiers during World War 1. Many nurses lost their lives during the war, 296 nurses and 127 ambulance drivers to be exact.

During th...

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"Tips for Donating Blood." Shelbyville Times-Gazette. Times-Gazette, 01 May 2014. Web. 02 May 2014.

"What Is a Blood Transfusion?" - NHLBI, NIH. Department of Health and Human Services, 30 Jan. 2012. Web. 02 May 2014.

"Blood Types." Infoplease. Infoplease, 2007. Web. 02 May 2014.

Somervill, Barbara A. Clara Barton: Founder of the American Red Cross. Minneapolis, MN: Compass

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