The American Red Cross Ethical Dilemmas

It can’t be disputed that since its inception, the Red Cross has had a lasting impact on the overall well-being of American citizens, instilling confidence in them that if a disaster does strike in their lives, the Red Cross is there to ease the pain a bit. However, much like any other organization, the Red Cross has had its fair share of flaws and mishaps. A crucial mistake in the business world may result in a substantial loss of money or even a sentence to prison. Unfortunately for the Red Cross, everything they do and participate in deals with the lives of everyday individuals. As a result, if their jobs aren’t done correctly or mistakes are being made, it could put the lives of thousands at risk and therefore jeopardize their institution. Some may argue that in several instances, there has been mistakes made that have directly and negatively impacted the lives of Americans. An

None of us are immune to natural disasters and it can happen as easily to us here in Pocatello, Idaho just as easily as anywhere else. Idaho has in fact had a few natural disasters worth noting. Every year the State of Idaho is plagued with terrible wildfires that have engulfed the homes of many people. There is no way to be sure that we are completely safe, but with the help of the American Red Cross, many people can receive help to be relocated or receive medical attention if they need it. We have also had two of the largest earthquakes in the continental United States. Although it is scary to think that crisis can strike at any moment, it is very reassuring knowing that an entity such as the American Red Cross can hop in to action and rush to our

The Federal Disaster Assistance Nonprofit Fairness Act of 2013 (H.R. 592), is a bill that would correct this and allow relief funding to go these organizations. So far the bill has passed the House by a large margin. The bill is also being criticized by it’s opponents for it’s use of taxpayer money to help tax-exempt organizations as well as violating the principle of separation of church and state.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) response to the Northridge earthquake was almost immediate with the assistance of two urban search and rescue teams and the support from FEMA continued to grow after that (DeBlasio et al,. (2002). During the first week of rebuilding the Federal government provided an aid package to support the rebuilding needs of the area impacted by the earthquake. The aid package was broken down int several categories of recipients of the money with the two largest being money for FEMA and money of the Federal Highway Association. FEMA received $3.9 million and the Federal Highway Association received $1.35 billion (Eugene, 2010) According to Eugene (2010) the Federal Emergency Management Agency also provided assistance for

A lot of major donors donate on a regular basis and hold charity events to bring in more donations. Whenever they’re continuously donating to the Boys and Girls Club they’ll give the money meant for the BGC to people in need during natural disasters. Donors do this because natural disasters don’t occur that often, so they’re quick to donate to this temporary cause. Although, nothing is wrong with donors dropping donations to help people suffering from natural disasters. Boys and Girls Clubs can’t operate during local natural

The majority of the immediate relief occurred thanks to the aid of private organizations such as the Red Cross along with the Bush-Clinton Katrina Fund (McNeill, 2011). The Bush administration and other government figures acted incredibly slowly and were unable to give the

Instantly following hurricane Katrina, FEMA was hesitant and did not accept help from non-government organizations, “The American Red Cross was not allowed into New Orleans following the disaster and was unable to supplement the government’s response’ (American Red Cross 2005).” According to the Government Accountability Office, during the hurricane Katrina catastrophe, the failure to designate a single official to lead the overall federal response made matters worse (Fessler, 2006). The Government Accountability Office also noted that Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff never named the storm as a catastrophic event which would have activated a much greater federal response (Fessler,

The Red Cross is built to aide in disaster relief, but to receive a phone call asking “Where is the Red Cross?” from the Pentagon to activate the specialized teams in response to 9/11 left scars on the ARC's permanent record that are hard to overcome

It is my opinion that some of the problems FEMA experienced can be attributed to the public’s lack of awareness of the assistance available during those chaotic times. To combat this lack of awareness, FEMA teamed up with the Ad Council and a private advertising firm, Muezzin Brown & Partners, to develop a public service campaign that made the public aware, through the use of media outlets, that assistance was available and provided FEMA’s toll-free number to register for assistance. (Haddow, Bullock & Coppola, 2017)

When a natural disaster comes to mind you think many resources are utilized. You think many agencies from around the world must have come to help one of the biggest disasters the country has seen. Although that is not exactly what happened in New Orleans many agencies did come to help. Local, State, and Federal agencies were present during and after the hurricane. Governor Katherine Babineaux Blanco and Mayor Ray Nagin called a state of emergency and issued a mandatory evacuation, shortly after, President Bush to issue a state of emergency and mandatory evacuation on a federal level to ensure assistance from agencies like FEMA and the America Red Cross (Kamp). Mayor Ray Nagin also

Donors who view the American Red Cross now knows their unethical acts and will probably think twice about donated to the organization. Also, donors should begin to question where the money is going if it is not entirely going to the victims or survivors. Evidently, corporate relationships with the American Red Cross experienced negative feedback from other corporate donors. For example, one company can become jealous of the other if the American Red Cross displays favoritism towards them after a disaster. Also, the American Red Cross has to be concerned when it comes to promoting their corporate donors because the organization does not want people to believe that it is using a disaster to support a specific company.

On the same note, the group provided relief when the 35-W bridge collapsed in Minnesota. It helped, this past year, to rebuild houses that fell victim to California wildfires too. Post disaster aid comes in many forms. Food relief, site clean up, site repair, blood donations, blood transfusions and other types of medical aid are some of the forms of relief. Although, disaster reliefs and blood donations are crucial in our society today; this is not the only type of service the Red Cross provides for us.

Every day in the United States hurricanes, floods, fires, accidents and other disasters happen. Once the organization is contacted, they are more than likely the first organization to respond. During hard times, the American Red Cross has a giving site where volunteers can go online and buy items to help support the victims of the disaster. For 18 dollars a volunteer can donate three blankets. For 20 dollars a volunteer can give hot meals to two people. For 2,000 dollars, a volunteer can supply a food truck that will be rushed to the victims of a disaster. 91 percent of its funds on programs support around 200 disasters in the United States daily.

In the United States, people who live in poverty are already one of the most vulnerable populations and it is this population that is heavily impacted by public policy relating to natural disasters. Often, public policies relating to disaster preparedness and recovery are not discussed until after a natural disaster takes place which is too late to do any good for the people affected and who are devastated almost beyond comprehension. The role of government in disaster preparedness and recovery became a “hot button” issue especially after Hurricane Katrina when the federal and local governments seemed to protect/help those who already had resources and not those with little to no resources. According to a Gallup Poll by Jones & Carroll (2005), forty-nine percent of respondents said that FEMA was most helpful to them while thirty-one percent of respondents said that nothing was helpful to them during recovery from Hurricane Katrina. This information indicates that there is a gap in services disaster relief policies and programs that needs to be filled.

Rather the nation's government should be using the money on other things. Like improving governmental issues such as improving the country/military (Huffington Post). Many politicians and economists have long sought a secret formula for lowering unemployment in order to address these tragedies, but these efforts do not address how we have a responsibility to our brothers (New York Times). Catholics, believe that if tragedy befalls others Christians need to reach out and help the individual(s). They believe every individual is to be respected and these rights should be awarded to all human