Health Assistance
hosted the annual blood drive on Monday, February 29th from 9AM to 2PM
sponsored by the American Red Cross.
The blood drive is
open to any student and staff member willing to donate. Although, there are a
few catches besides that you will be giving a pint of blood; you cannot not
donate if you have gotten a tattoo within the past year, if you have traveled
to countries with malaria-call 1-800-Red Cross, and if you have low iron
problems which the Red Cross will check the morning of. There is also a height
and weight requirement for males and females.
You MUST be 16
years or older to donate blood. If you are 17 or older you do not need parent
consent. Sorry sixteen-ies, one more year! A form of I.D. is needed to donate
as well. If you have donated before and have a donors’ I.D. card they will be
accepted along with your driver’s license or school I.D.According to the American Red Cross:
- Every two seconds someone in the U.S. needs blood.
- Approximately 36,000 units of red blood cells are needed every day in the U.S.
- Nearly 7,000 units of platelets and 10,000 units of plasma are needed daily in the U.S.
- Nearly 21 million blood components are transfused each year in the U.S.
- The average red blood cell transfusion is approximately 3 pints.
- The blood type most often requested by hospitals is type O.
- The blood used in an emergency is already on the shelves before the event occurs.
- It is estimated that sickle cell disease affects 90,000 to 100,000 people in the U.S.
- About 1,000 babies are born with the disease each year. Sickle cell patients can require frequent blood transfusions throughout their lives.
- More than 1.68 million people are expected to be diagnosed with cancer in 2016. Many of them will need blood, sometimes daily, during their chemotherapy treatment.
- A single car accident victim can require as many as 100 pints of blood.
