Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science — Local services in Lynwood

Today was the annual Sickle Cell Festival at Charles Drew University (CDU). Drew is a HBCU (Historically Black University) located in Los Angeles. Charles Drew, MD was a physician-surgeon and the father of American blood banking. He created a blood banking system to aid military healthcare professionals with the medical treatment of American soldiers during WWII. He also was the first to separate plasma from blood and show that it alone can be just as effective as whole blood. CDU os a medical school and public health institution. The school is also associated with the MLK Jr. Community Hospital.

MLK Jr. Hospital is a free LA county hospital that provides medical services to everyone. It is also a very special hospital because it's the only one of its kind to offer medical treatment to adult sickle cell disease (SCD) patients. This is very important because once SCD patients age out of pediatric care, having their crises managed at regular hospitals can be very challenging. Most SCD patients go to the Emergency Room when they're in pain. Unfortunately, most ER personnel know nothing about SCD. And when these patients show up, they're complaining about extreme pain that has no traditionally familiar ailment to account for it. Additionally, what makes them suspucious is that they have many track marks on their arms (they receive monthly blood transfusions). They are also often able to tell the doctor exactly what type of pain medication, and/or dosage (which is often very high) they need. As a result, they are almost always automatically labeled as drug addicts looking for a hit. Luckily, SCD experts such as Dr. Elliott Vichinsky of Children's hospital Oakland have created Passports for SCD patients aging out of pediatric care, to take with them to the ER. The Passport describes to the ER personnel what sickle cell is and how it presents during a crisis. This very simple provision has saved many lives. Hopefully, these Passports will be implemented nationwide. Those lucky enough to go directly to MLK Jr do not need a Passport, as the hospital is familiar with the disease and exactly how to manage the crisis. Today wasn't about any of that though. We are here to celebrate brave children and adults with food, popcorn, entertainment, and so much Halloween candy!

PSA: If you are in a black\black relationship and are planning on starting a family, PLEASE be responsible and have yourselves tested for the sickle cell mutation. Happy...

I had what I thought was a great interview for a salaried position with CDU. I had an initial screening interview with an HR recruiter. Then I got an email regarding a second interview opportunity a day later. It was a Zoom panel interview with 3 employees of the university, an HR executive and the manager of the program I was applying to. It lasted about 50 minutes. The HR manager himself, said at least 2-3 times during the call that I sound like a perfect fit, even as far saying how I’d like to be a part of the team. The manager herself responded to my responses with more enthusiasm than I’ve probably have ever seen in any job interview I’ve had, with comments like “I’m really glad you brought that up” and consistently nodding. I explained how I’ve always been student first, multifaceted, and incredibly to eager learn. I love CDU’s history, mission & goals & how community centric it is. I would’ve loved to bring my dream of revolutionizing higher education to CDU in this new era of learning. However, my drive wasn’t enough to get this position. Although the job positing stated that it’s an entry level position and didn’t state that it specifically requires medical field experience - I was turned down because they chose a candidate with said experience. I feel totally lost here. I really thought there was a connect with everyone in the panel and myself. I passed the qualifications check for the position I applied for in my pre-contact analysis, so I’m confused as to why I even interviewed in the first place if my qualifications didn’t match what they were looking for. It would be a dream to work for this mission, but I’m left questioning administrative...

Had an appointment for COVID testing and was directed to this snake of a line (supposedly for appointments) only to spend upwards of 2+ hours going around the block back towards where I originally started. A security officer passing asked if I had an appointment, and after I told him "yes" he instructs me to just park and walk up and show my appointment confirmation. Whoever that officer was, THANK YOU....after parking I spent approximately 20 minutes total including: getting checked in, getting my sample package, doing the actual swab test, and dropping it in the container. Please find a better way to service those with appointments first...cause that wait is atrocious😒🥵...and thank to those who are and have been on the front lines throughout the...