Kaiser Network Update, June 29, 2007 The following highlights initiatives that address minority health issues: Mediware Information Systems: MIS recently sponsored a summit where representatives from institutions such as Johns Hopkins University, Georgetown University, New York University and the University of California discussed how to increase efforts encouraging Hispanics to donate blood. Hispanics are predominately O-positive but not enough of them are donating blood, despite an increasing number of blood transfusions in the population. Alexander Indrikovs, an associate professor of pathology and clinical laboratory sciences at the University of Texas Medical Branch, said that recruiting young Hispanics is difficult because of high deferral rates from possible exposure to malaria and Chagas disease, body piercing and tattoos, as well as cultural misperceptions.