The Future Health Professionals Club and Commack PTA hosted two separate blood drives through the New York Blood Center on Wednesday, November 13.
The closed drive, for students and staff only, ran from 7:45 am to 1:45 pm in the Student Study Center. The blood drive was open to the public from 2:45pm to 7:15 pm.
The requirements to be eligible to donate blood was that participants must be at least 16-years-old (with a parental permission slip) or older, at least 110 pounds, and healthy.
“The 4 stages [to donating blood] are registration and mini-medical tests… After you pass the medical stage, you move on to the donation. Then there is the last stage, which everyone enjoys, the juice, water, and snacks at the canteen table…,” said account manager of New York Blood Center, Maureen Mills-Marcello, via email.
The mini-medical tests consist of testing iron levels, blood pressure, and body temperature. Donors are encouraged to eat snacks to replenish salts, fluids, and sugars. Drawing one pint of blood takes 10 minutes, but donors are typically at the drive for one hour because of the four stages.
“I think it is very important for students to realize that we all must take part in adding to our blood supply and maintaining our blood supply. We live in a very populated area and blood is needed every day. There is no substitute for blood so it should be part of our community service to each other…,” said Marcello, via email.
Currently, New York Blood center has gone into a blood emergency, meaning there is only a two-to-three day supply of blood. Bringing awareness to this blood shortage is imperative because blood will always be needed for various reasons, such as transfusions or emergencies. However, it is not always readily available. Blood also constantly needs to be replenished due to its short shelf life.
“We always need [type] O- [blood] because O- is the universal donor, [meaning] we all can receive O- blood. The need for certain blood types vary but currently we are in a higher need for O+ and O-,” said Mills-Marcello, via email.
Extra blood drives are held to get the public to donate right away. Press releases are also sent out to the media to promote the blood drives and encourage donors.
“A blood drive like the one held at Commack HS last year produced 50 units of blood. Times that number by 3 (for the 3 components that will be used by different patients—plasma, platelets, and red blood cells) equals 150 lives saved,” said Marcello, via email.
Students had an incentive for donating, which can be encouraging for those who are donating for the first time or are hesitant to.
“[Students] can get CSIP points [for donating],” said Future Health Professionals Club adviser, Jeanne Suttie, via email.◼️
