ARCC Hosts Annual Fall Blood Drive –

 Blood Drive Setup  Source: Xavierite

The American Red Cross Club hosted an American Red Cross Annual Fall Blood Drive on Tuesday, Nov. 14 from 12-5 p.m. in the Wiseman Student Lounge. 

Other clubs involved were The Pre-Medical Society, Student Nurses Association, and Service Club.

All donors received free socks with a holiday elf pattern from the Red Cross. All donors and volunteers also received club credit hours. One donation received two credits and one volunteer hour received one credit. Volunteer hours were  stackable. 

Donors were asked to eat a healthy snack and drink an extra 16 oz. of water and fluids prior to their donation. Free snacks were provided for students and donors such as crackers, cookies, water, chips, and nutrition bars to keep donors blood sugar stable. 

For an appointment to donate, two forms were required to be filled out: a blood drive sign up form and an appointment scheduling form. Photo IDs, a blood donor card, or two other forms of ID were also required in order to donate blood. 

Since there were only 4 beds available at a time, The American Red Cross Club had donors make appointments in order to ensure a steady flow of people coming in. However, walk-ins were taken depending on the flow of the drive. 

According to Mia Cox, American Red Cross Club President, “Before blood transfusions blood donations are tested for blood type and infectious diseases. If a test result is positive, your donation will be discarded and you will be notified. When test results are received, units suitable for transfusion are labeled and stored.”

Donors were asked to do Rapid Pass which is a quick prescreen to check their eligibility to donate. After their donation, the blood was processed and scanned into a database. 

“It is important for students to donate blood if they are able to. Blood Products are constantly used for life-saving procedures, emergency situations, and various treatments in healthcare settings. Without donations, these treatments would not be possible, and countless lives could be lost and affected as a result of being unable to receive blood products,” explains Olivia Artz, Student Nurses Association President. 

A total of seven students representing SNA volunteered to participate in the blood drive. Nursing students were able to work with members of the community and spread the word of the importance of donating blood. 

“If students weren’t able to attend this year’s blood drive, there are many resources available on the American Red Cross website that can help students find the closest and upcoming blood drive in the area. SNA hopes that everyone can recognize the importance of blood donation, and looks forward to seeing even more participation in years to come,” says Artz. 

The American Red Cross Club will be hosting another drive in the spring semester as well for students who could not donate blood this time around. 

About 40 students volunteered or donated this year. The American Red Cross Club sent in trained professionals to collect, store, and transplant the donations. In total Twenty-two units of blood were collected. 

According to Cox, “Every two seconds someone in the U.S. needs blood. It is essential for surgeries, cancer treatment, chronic illnesses, and traumatic injuries. Whether a patient receives whole blood, red cells, platelets or plasma, this lifesaving care starts with one person making a generous donation.”

Blood is available to be shipped to hospitals 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Hospitals typically keep some blood units on their shelves, but may call for more at any time, such as, large scale emergencies,” says Cox.

There are currently no upcoming events being hosted by the American Red Cross Club. If you are interested in attending any in the future, keep an eye out for event posts on the SXU Den. 

For more information pertaining to The American Red Cross Club contact, [email protected]. 

For more information pertaining to The Student Nurses Association contact,  [email protected]. 

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