The Health Center at the American University in Dubai (AUD) held on Tuesday, the 27th of October, 2009, the Blood Drive Campaign for the Fall Semester of the current academic year 2009-2010, on the University’s Campus. The campaign was organized in association with the Blood Bank Department at Al Wasl Hospital, and blood collected during the drive will be donated to the Hospital’s Thalassaemia Center.
Nelly Halabi, Director of the AUD Health Center, comments, “AUD organizes the Blood Drive Campaign every six months on campus and we are glad to be part of this humanitarian cause. Our foremost objective is to provide regular help and support to the patients suffering from Thalassaemia who need continuous blood donations for their treatment. Not only are our students taking part in a good cause, but they are also boosting their own health since donating blood minimizes the risk of having a heart attack and decreases blood pressure.”
Medical staff from Al Wasl Hospital assisted the AUD Health Center staff during the event which also included Hemoglobin Blood Tests and Vital Signs Check-ups for more than 150 donors from the AUD community, including faculty and staff members, as well as students.
The mission of the AUD Health Center is to provide general care and quality health services to, and health supervision of, all currently enrolled students, faculty, and staff members, and to promote the prevention of illness and the well-being of the University’s community. It aims at providing accessible health care by encouraging wellness through health education programs, conducted on campus on a constant basis.
The Thalassaemia Center, which launched its operations in early 1989, is considered to be a leader in the treatment of Thalassaemia in the UAE and the Gulf. Over twenty five cases of Thalassaemia can be accepted daily in the center's fully equipped facility.
The Blood Donation Center at Al Wasl Hospital conducts outreach programs across Dubai in hotels, schools, universities, and companies, on an ongoing basis. It also has regular donors from all across the UAE. AUD is set to host yet another Blood Drive in the Spring of 2010.