It is that time of year to roll up your
sleeves and give the gift of life.
WNY News 257th annual holiday
Blood Drive is next Tuesday,
December 14th from 7:00 AM
to 7:00 PM at Piedmont Hall,
which is right there in the
Greensboro Coliseum complex.
Well, many of you have questions when
it comes to giving blood and Maya
Franklin from the American Red Cross
is here to answer your questions.
So this is what you need to do.
You need to text those questions to
336-379-5775. Remember, this is text
only so please don't call alright.
First and foremost Maya.
Let's get to how you know
the last two years have been
really strange for all of us,
and that includes those on
the blood donation side.
Lots of people who were normal
blood donors weren't giving blood
because they were staying home
and our blood supply is low.
Very low, dangerously low.
In fact at historically low levels.
What we have seen happen
over the past several months,
usually during the fall we are
able to rebound the blood supply
from the summer months when
we see a drop in donations,
but this year because of the
delta variant of COVID-19,
we saw another drop in blood
donor turn out about 10%,
but that has affected our
inventory as we move through the
fall and into the winter months.
A time that's always critical for
blood donors to give the gift of life.
To roll up a sleeve for those
who are in need of life.
Saving transfusions alright.
And we're going to talk about how
the blood drive is going to put COVID
protocols into place and things like that,
but I also want to get to who the
blood goes to 'cause I think a
lot of times people think, well,
it's people like from car crashes,
but it's much more than that.
It is, you know, trauma victims are some
of the recipients of blood donations,
like those who are involved in car crashes.
But there are other people who
benefit from these selfless
volunteers who roll up their sleeves,
and those include sometimes mothers who
experience complications during childbirth.
Sometimes their newborn babies receive
blood transfusions to blood products,
whole blood, the type of donation that
we do at the blood drive, as well as.
Platelets are used for individuals who are
undergoing chemotherapy for cancer treatment.
So it's not just those
who are in car crashes.
There are another number of other
reasons why people need blood, and
I think of sickle cell patients.
They're constantly getting
blood transfusions,
and I mean so you have people who
are in constant need of blood,
not just the emergency time,
but are in constant need of blood or it.
Let's take a closer look at North
Carolina and what our donations look like.
Yeah, so in North Carolina.
One of the things that we have
experienced in the past several months is.
A drop not only in blood donors but
first time blood donors and these
blood donors are critical to helping
us ensure that that inventory meets
the needs of our hospital partners
and the patients that they serve.
So we have seen a decrease
nationwide of about 30%.
And here in the Carolinas,
a little close to 25% fewer
first time blood donors.
Alright, so let's talk about what
people are going to experience when
they come into the blood drive.
Like what measures?
Have been implemented during the
pandemic to keep blood donors safe.
Kind of walk us through it.
Yes, so we are requiring anyone who
comes to the blood drive to wear a mask
for the duration of the blood drive.
We are also going to be sanitizing
those donor touch surfaces.
Some of the computers that we use,
the beds that we use,
areas where donors are waiting,
ensuring that people are,
you know, washing their hands.
Our staff are washing their hands.
They're using gloves,
and they're also following very strict
guidelines that were put in place well
before the pandemic to ensure that.
We have our donors as well
that includes using sterilized
needles and that sort of thing.
Alright,
so masks are required
when you're giving blood.
Absolutely, from the moment you walk
into the door to the moment you leave.
With the exception of the time that
you're in the canteen area getting
refreshments after your blood donation.
Alright, let's talk about who is
eligible to give a blood donation.
'cause we're already getting
a couple of questions.
So who is eligible? Yes,
so 16 years old you are eligible to
donate blood with parental consent.
You have to be at least 110 pounds
to donate blood, and in general good
health on the day of your donation.
OK, and So what about
vaccines and blood donation?
Doesn't matter whether
you had your vaccine.
If you did have your vaccine,
what do we need to do?
No AB. Do not require donors to have A to
have a vaccine when they donate blood,
but we do encourage those
who have been vaccinated too.
If not, bring their card,
know the name of the manufacturer that
provided their their vaccine. Alright
already we're getting a few
questions about is there a
weight limit on giving blood?
I know you said you have
to be at least 100 pounds.
Is there a weight limit?
So again, we ask that our donors
are generally in good health as
part of the donation process.
There are a few health history checks,
so to speak. That includes,
like your blood pressure,
your hemoglobin levels.
So as long as those things check out well,
you would be eligible to donate.