Introduction
Public health non-profits are organizations that receive most of their funding from private sources and donations and channel those funds towards equitable access to healthcare. Throughout history, non-profit organizations have been created and functioned to help local and global communities. For example, such organizations have always supported and carried out vaccination campaigns for the population and have dramatically reduced the incidence of such severe diseases as polio, measles, malaria, etc. (Hutchinson, 2018). This work is crucial for eliminating unequal access to health care in society, strengthening the health and safety of the local community, and educating people on health topics.
American Red Cross is one of these organizations that works to promote social equality and aims to identify population groups with unfavorable conditions. Such factors include social status, ecological environment, income level, access to medicine and healthy food, etc. Race, income, educational class, and other social factors can result in a 15-year reduction in life expectancy (Hutchinson, 2018). The Red Cross acts in a time of crisis to provide a faster response and wider distribution of protection measures and offer access to medicine to the people who are most in need.
American Red Cross: Mission and Values
American Red Cross is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping people in natural disasters, military conflicts, and the military and their families. The purpose of the American Red Cross is to prevent human suffering in emergencies. The Red Cross contributes to public health and safety improvements by unbiasedly identifying communities experiencing severe crisis situations and sending resources there – volunteers, medical workers, medicines and other necessary supplies and equipment.
The organization is global; that is why one of the values is humanity, helping those in need around the world, regardless of race, nationality, and religion (Hutchinson, 2018). The Red Cross is guided by the values of impartiality, believing that every person is worthy of the right to a decent life. Another significant value of the organization is neutrality, as the Red Cross helps people in challenging political and military situations (Hutchinson, 2018). To carry out this assistance, the organization does not issue political, religious, or ideological statements.
In addition, the American Red Cross maintains a policy of independence in order to be able to execute its activities following its principles. The organization is guided by the ideas of volunteering and voluntary assistance; that is, making a profit or another kind of income is ultimately rejected (Hutchinson, 2018). Furthermore, the Red Cross is a unified and universal organization that is open to all and provides assistance to all (Hutchinson, 2018). Volunteers of the organization work in more than 200 countries in accordance with shared values and mission.
American Red Cross: Influence
The history of the Red Cross is replete with examples of global and local initiatives promoting social security and health. For instance, from 2015 to 2017, the Red Cross was involved in over 125,000 natural disasters in the United States (Smith & Grove, 2017). Because of significant funds and an extensive structure, the organization can afford to quickly respond to incidents and send a large number of volunteers to help people. In addition to helping people in emergencies, the Red Cross is also involved in educational and preventive activities. One such important program is first aid training, which includes recognizing the most dangerous health problems and responding appropriately to them (Pellegrino et al., 2020). Such educational projects increase the chances of people surviving an infarction or stroke and show positive results for local communities.
The mission and vision of the Red Cross aim to reduce human suffering and help victims of disasters, military conflicts, refugees, and other people in difficult conditions. Moreover, the organization carries out preventive measures to prepare for emergencies and combat poverty and social inequality. The Red Cross cooperates with local organizations and communities, carrying out measures to inform and educate the population and provide free medical care, vaccination, drug delivery, etc. (Hutchinson, 2018). The anti-discrimination policy of the Red Cross helps the organization to be in the most critical areas, regardless of prejudices, but focusing on the needs of the people. The Red Cross helps local communities through educational programs and accessible health care. The organization removes the consequences of disasters from local communities, allowing them to cope with cataclysm outcomes quickly. Moreover, the Red Cross cooperates with local charitable organizations, participating in implementing programs in which this community is directly interested.
American Red Cross: Equal Opportunity Promotion
According to the values of the Red Cross, the organization chooses the direction of assistance solely based on a multivariate analysis of the situation regarding the severity of the consequences and the number of victims. The Red Cross states that no other factors, including race, nationality, religion, political views, or gender, affect the choice of direction of assistance. In addition, the organization promotes internal diversity by attracting volunteers from all over the world to its mission, welcoming cultural exchange and cooperation. The Red Cross stands for inclusiveness and fairness; therefore, the organization includes representatives of different communities and brings their knowledge and experience to work (Barton, 2022). The Red Cross has no social, cultural and economic barriers, as the training of volunteers is free. However, volunteers must be healthy, hardy and ready for hard work, as they work in the most difficult conditions (Smith & Grove, 2017). Thus, the main priority of the Red Cross is humanity and assistance to humankind as a whole.
American Red Cross: Funding
According to the charter of the US Congress, the Red Cross is a non-profit charitable organization exempt from tax payments. The organization has a special relationship with the federal government and has the status of a “federal instrumentality,” fulfilling the government’s duties and statutes (Hutchinson, 2018). Despite the need to comply with state laws, the Red Cross is an independent organization, as it does not receive regular assistance from the government but relies on direct donations. The government can conclude a contract with the Red Cross for the implementation of specific programs that will be financed from the budget.
Nurse Work and American Red Cross
The American Red Cross requires many workers, especially in the health care sector. The organization employs more than 13,000 nurses and medical workers, who are key figures in disaster relief, blood collection, and work in military hospitals (Barton, 2022). In addition, nurses participate in educational programs, local health care projects, and training. The Red Cross constantly needs to train new volunteers, teach them the basics of first aid and work with injured people. Practicing or still studying nurses can apply on the Red Cross website, receive free training and take part in one of the organization’s programs.
Conclusion
Investing in citizen education and providing access to resources improves the condition of local communities as a whole, removing and reducing health risks. Nurses and other healthcare professionals should be aware of local and global non-profit organizations that can provide care and support to the population. Exploring additional options will help inform patients and direct them to structures that can help them free of charge. There are many similar organizations, from global projects such as The Red Cross or Doctors Without Borders to many local charity startups. Participation in such organizations allows medical professionals and ordinary people to contribute to the restoration of social equality by helping people who are in need due to social, economic, and political circumstances.
References
Barton, C. (2022). The Red Cross in peace and war. DigiCat.
Hutchinson, J. F. (2018). Champions of charity: War and the rise of the Red Cross. Routledge.
Pellegrino, J. L., Charlton, N. P., Carlson, J. N., Flores, G. E., Goolsby, C. A., Hoover, A. V., Kule, A., Magid, D. J., Orkin, A. M., Singletary, E. M., Slater, T. M. & Swain, J. M. (2020). 2020 American Heart Association and American Red Cross focused update for first aid. Circulation, 142(17), e287-e303.
Smith, S. L., & Grove, C. J. (2017). Bittersweet and paradoxical: Disaster response volunteering with the American Red Cross. Non-profit Management and Leadership, 27(3), 353-369.