Avon Lake Public Library hosts monthly blood drive

Denise Gutta, a team supervisor of the American Red Cross, said that the group’s monthly blood drive at Avon Lake Public Library, 32649 Electric Blvd., is consistently one of its most fruitful.

Once again, the library had a steady flow of donors Aug. 7, Gutta said.

The American Red Cross has a goal to get donors signed in, through the line and back out in 45 minutes or less, she said.

“It’s running fantastic,” Gutta said. “We’re having good donor flow, we’re having good customer service.

“Things are going well. When we say good donor flow, it’s getting them out in 45 minutes, and they’re not waiting 25, 30 minutes, 15 minutes, whatever the case may be.”

With some volunteer help at the Avon Lake location, the drive ran very smoothly, Gutta said.

“There’s no two blood drives that are the same,” she said. “We love our volunteers, they really help us.

“Sometimes, they are just 100 percent an asset (to us).”

Just one person’s donation of a pint of blood can help three people in need, Gutta said.

American Red Cross staffers have a flexible benchmark for what makes a “successful” blood drive, she said.

“It’s good in this area, and it always has been,” Gutta said. “One pint of blood helps three people.

“Your blood is made up of platelets, plasma and red cells, so one pint of blood goes to three people. So, if we get 50 pints in one day, we’re helping 150 people.”

Donors are allowed to give blood every 56 days, according to the federal government.

The American Red Cross is governed by the FDA, Gutta said, which maintains that the body needs about eight weeks to fully recover from donating a pint of blood.

The American Red Cross holds blood drive events about once a month at the Avon Lake Public Library, Gutta said.

Those looking to donate should watch the library’s event calendar at https://alpl.org/ for upcoming opportunities.