Blood and bone marrow matches are much more likely to be found within the same ethnic group.
African Americans represent 8% of the total population in the Sacramento region1 yet...they comprise only 2.3% of blood donors in the area2.
Nationally, African Americans make up only 8% of bone marrow registrants3 and 12.9% of the total population4.
African Americans in need of marrow matches are at a disadvantage when compared to Caucasian and Latino patients in California and the nation as a whole.