Blood Drive to Be Held This Week
Kevin Hrabal
Issue date: 2/9/09 Section: News
Henderson will be hosting the Red Cross for another blood drive this semester. The blood drive will be Feb. 11-12 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Day Gym.
Because of the recent bad weather, donation drives had to be cancelled due to bad driving conditions.
The average day requires the collection of more than 500 units of blood to meet expected needs. According to the Red Cross, they are now 800 units short of what is needed.
According to Erschelle Newsome, chief executive officer for the Greater Ozarks Arkansas Region, the blood collected is not just used for emergencies.
"We often think of traumatic injury for blood transfusions, but much of the blood collected is used for heart surgeries, cancer and leukemia treatments, and many other medical procedures depend on the availability of blood and platelets," said Newsome.
Blood drives are often met with mixed reviews among the alumni. Everyone either donates blood or not. And every student has his or her own reasons for either choice.
Some students like Blake Williams, sophomore nursing major, see it as a great opportunity to help others.
"I give blood because it makes me feel good knowing I'm helping to save lives," Williams said.
Others like Dust Sanders, junior coaching major, are a little apprehensive about the blood-giving process.
"I just don't want to give blood," Sanders said. "I'm too scared of needles."
But whatever the reason is, for or against, everyone deserves to know the facts regarding donating blood.
The Red Cross requires that anyone who wants to give blood to be in generally good health, at least 17 years old and weigh 110 pounds or more.
The entire process takes about one hour, with the actual blood-giving part taking about 15 minutes.
A driver's license, Red Cross blood donor card or some kind of identification is required.
A complete registration, containing name, address and phone number is filled out. After that, a few confidential health questions are answered. Then, a mini health exam is taken, including blood pressure, temperature, pulse and a drop of blood taken from the finger to test for anemia. This requires a slight finger prick, but it is not too painful.
All the equipment is sterile, and each needle is used once and then discarded. The area is sterilized with iodine, and the needle is inserted, which hurts about as much as pinching the soft skin of the arm.
For the next 24 hours, an increase in fluid intake is recommended, as well as avoiding heavy activity with the donation arm for five hours.
For more information regarding blood drives or volunteering with the Red Cross, visit www.bloodisneeded.org or call 1-800-GIVE-LIFE.
Because of the recent bad weather, donation drives had to be cancelled due to bad driving conditions.
The average day requires the collection of more than 500 units of blood to meet expected needs. According to the Red Cross, they are now 800 units short of what is needed.
According to Erschelle Newsome, chief executive officer for the Greater Ozarks Arkansas Region, the blood collected is not just used for emergencies.
"We often think of traumatic injury for blood transfusions, but much of the blood collected is used for heart surgeries, cancer and leukemia treatments, and many other medical procedures depend on the availability of blood and platelets," said Newsome.
Blood drives are often met with mixed reviews among the alumni. Everyone either donates blood or not. And every student has his or her own reasons for either choice.
Some students like Blake Williams, sophomore nursing major, see it as a great opportunity to help others.
"I give blood because it makes me feel good knowing I'm helping to save lives," Williams said.
Others like Dust Sanders, junior coaching major, are a little apprehensive about the blood-giving process.
"I just don't want to give blood," Sanders said. "I'm too scared of needles."
But whatever the reason is, for or against, everyone deserves to know the facts regarding donating blood.
The Red Cross requires that anyone who wants to give blood to be in generally good health, at least 17 years old and weigh 110 pounds or more.
The entire process takes about one hour, with the actual blood-giving part taking about 15 minutes.
A driver's license, Red Cross blood donor card or some kind of identification is required.
A complete registration, containing name, address and phone number is filled out. After that, a few confidential health questions are answered. Then, a mini health exam is taken, including blood pressure, temperature, pulse and a drop of blood taken from the finger to test for anemia. This requires a slight finger prick, but it is not too painful.
All the equipment is sterile, and each needle is used once and then discarded. The area is sterilized with iodine, and the needle is inserted, which hurts about as much as pinching the soft skin of the arm.
For the next 24 hours, an increase in fluid intake is recommended, as well as avoiding heavy activity with the donation arm for five hours.
For more information regarding blood drives or volunteering with the Red Cross, visit www.bloodisneeded.org or call 1-800-GIVE-LIFE.
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