My Week With The Grenada Red Cross
Ishita Shukla
2nd year MPH Epidemiology Student
The Grenada PHAST deployment was filled with rich experiences and moments of learning and growth. During the island tour with Mr. Mandoo, he dropped an abundance of public health-related facts. It was riveting to learn and see the entire island, the way waste management is handled, how climate change is affecting the island, and the impact of globalization on the infrastructure of Grenada. This really put into perspective the context for how different public health issues affect Grenadians and where they intersect.
We spent the week collaborating with the Grenada Red Cross Society (GRCS) to collect insights on enhancing the non-remunerated blood donation initiative. We met with different stakeholders around the island from the National Disaster Management Agency to the Blood Bank of Grenada. These interviews were especially insightful in informing us about the different organizations present, how they inform the blood donating process, and in identifying areas for collaboration.
This deployment was my very first global health experience, and I couldn’t have asked for a better opportunity. My biggest takeaway I learned was how to engage with various stakeholders in a meaningful way to provide recommendations to our community partner. Through many conversations with my team, the responses from the Blood Donation Attitudes online and in-person surveys, and discussions in the key informant interviews, and community events, we were able to identify key themes and pitch recommendations to the GRCS.
That said, I would like to take a moment to express gratitude for our community partner Grenada Red Cross Society, specifically Samantha Dickson, for mentoring us through this project and coordinating our fieldwork experience, including the blood typing event. I would also like to thank the people of Grenada for the warm reception and being open to discussing their thoughts on blood donation. This project wouldn’t have been possible without the time volunteered by Grenada Red Cross members and the people of St. George and St. Patrick who took time out of their day to speak with us.