14
I JUStpUt
JUNE 1.2007
northwest
Blood Ban
Leader explains controversial policy Red Cross must observe
by Jaymee R. Cuti
hen Thomas Bruner
left the helm of
JRC: What battles are you
fighting for the Red Cross?
TB: Here is the single biggest
challenge that 1 face. This organiza
tion used to receive $1.8 million
Cascade AIDS Project
per year from the kx:al United Way.
in August 2005, he
This year, we received nothing.
puzzled over whether
Every year since 2001 it went down
politics was in his future. Besides tripling
a little. So figuring out what to do
fund-raising records at CAP and doubling
about that—how to replace as
the organization’s budget, he was known
much of that as possible—is No. 1
for lending his voice to HIV/AIDS
on my list. Luckily, my previous
activism in Congress and the Oregon
board had the foresight to create
Legislature. But three months ago he
a healthy reserve fund, so that
returned to the nonprofit sector, in which
reserve fund has allowed us to not
he has worked for 20 years.
have to slash and burn. But we
After a stint as policy director for
can’t dip into it permanently.
former Multnomah County Chair
Increasing the bkxxl supply is
Diane Linn in 2006, Bruner accepted
another [challenge). About 60
a job as chief executive officer with rhe
percent of the population is eligible
Oregon Trail Chapter of the American
to give bkxxl. Only 5 percent do.
Red Cross.
When there’s a tsunami in South
Whilg many associate the organiza
east Asia or some big earthquake in
tion with the volunteer nurses on World
Japan, people’s awareness of disaster
War I battlefields or bringing relief to
spikes temporarily. Just as quickly as
Hurricane Katrina victims, to some in
it spikes, it goes away. Somewhere
the gay community, the Red Cross
in between complete denial and
means discrimination.
this heightened level of angst is
Bruner discussed the federal Food
where we want people to be. I had
and Drug Administration’s controversial
these same debates in HIV/AIDS
policy of banning bkxxl donations from
work for 20 years: How do you take
gay and bisexual men, which the Red
a threat that to so many is concep
Cross must enforce. Despite objections
tual, and make that real, get people
from the Red Cross and two other bkxxl
concerned about it hxlay?
groups, as recently as May 23, the FDA
The third challenge is that the
Thomas Bruner has been on the job at Oregon's chapter of the American
vows to uphold the ban.
American Red Cross is 125 years
Red Cross for 90 days.
Bruner also shed light on his goal to
old. This chapter is 90 years old.
change the policy, his plans for sexing
about half the population for the state [and is| by
I think there are some people who view the
up the
Jaymee
company
R. Cuti:
image When
and the we
business
last spoke after far the biggest in the state.
American Red Cross as their grandmother’s organi
of saving
lives. from CAP, you voiced an inter
your
resignation
We are training about 34,000 people a year in
zation. They see voluntary nurses in starched white
est in public policy work. What drew you back to
first aid, CPR, how to use an [automated external
unifonns tending to the World War 1 battlefield, and
the nonprofit sector?
defibrillator). The common theme between all
we did that and we’re proud of it. But this is the
Thomas Bruner: I’ve always loved public poli those trainings is, how do you save a life, whether
piece that they don’t know much about. [Pointing to
cy and government relations. I’ve done that work
the life is Katrina fkxxl-related or somehxly’s house
a modernly designed poster of volunteers responding to
for a long time in various capacities. My trip goes up in flames at 2 a.m. or somebody faints in
a fire] I want to make sure that our images are more
through Multnomah County gave me a front-row
the middle of a mall.
current, that we’re a little bit hipper. It’s not chang
seat to politics ar its meanest and most dysfunction
In Oregon, the Red Cross supplies 97 percent of
ing our skin—it’s expanding our relevance.
al. While I loved my boss and my job, and the
the blood in the state.
issues we were working on were important and
JRC: How great is the need for blood
intellectually stimulating, I was just appalled at the
nationally that we help with. What they may not
donations?
behavior that I witnessed, and it kind of tcxik some
realize is every 36 hours we’re responding to a local
TB: Our summer months are the most difficult.
of the wind out of that sail. That’s not to say I’ll
disaster.
People spend their time boating and hiking and
never go back to it, but by the time 1 left that build
camping and traveling to visit family, and they are
ing on Dec. 31,1 was not eager to go into any
less likely to think about donating bkxxj or to make
'7
government building for a while.
the time to go. In the summer our bkxxl supply
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JRC: Most associate the American Red Cross
with blood donation and disaster relief. What else
is your organization responsible for?
TB: One, it works to prevent disasters. Second,
it works to prepare people and equip people for
emergencies. The third is it responds to disasters
and emergencies. The fourth thing is it’s the single
largest provider of the national bkxxl supply.
The state is broken up in six chapters and this
one, the Oregon Trail Chapter headquartered in
Portland, includes seven counties. That comprises
had these same
debates in HIV/AIDS
work for 20 years:
How do you take
a threat that to so many
is conceptual,
and make that real,
get people concerned
about it today?"
—Thomas Bruner
dips, and it is a critical time of year for us in terms
of meeting demand and getting the word out that
just because it’s July and August doesn’t mean we
need less bkxxl.
JRC: Please tell me about the ban on accept
ing blood from gay men?
TB: The ban on accepting blood donations
from gay or bisexual men is not a Red Cross policy.
It’s a U.S. Food and Drug Administration policy,
and it applies not only to the Red Cross but to the
entire bkxxl banking industry in the county. The