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As the time of summer holidays and fun in the sun is upon us, the Red Cross is calling out for summer blood donors, because medical emergencies never take vacations.
It is almost July and everybody is adding finishing touches to their vacation plans. People are thinking of shorts, summer dresses and flip flops and daydreaming about their happy days away from home. While this sounds absolutely delighting, there are people who still need to function at full speed when most people in town pack up an head for their dream vacation spots.
These people are the members of the hospital staffs and they are preparing for that time of the year when blood become particularly difficult to find. The blood bank staff is especially alarmed during summertime, because everybody, including their regular blood donors is leaving town.
And as more and more people go, the blood supply becomes less and less capable of meeting with the enormous demand. This is why the Red Cross is calling out for summer blood donors, who could enable the blood banks to face the seasonal demand.
The Red Cross points out that every donor is more than welcome to come in, regardless of the blood type, as all blood types are of great use. Donors must be at least 16 in order to be able to donate their blood and/or platelets.
Proof of parental consent is required for those aged 16, but those 17 and up can just come in with a form of identification on them. They are required to present either a specialized blood donor card, a driver’s license or some other form of ID so that they can be checked in.
All donors, regardless of their age, must weigh at least 110 pounds so that they can be admitted. Then, before they can be cleared for donation, a medical professional must perform a clinical examination on them. This also implies a comprehensive survey regarding their recent medical history and their contact with several disease risk factors, in order to identify certain high risk behavior displayed by the potential donor.
After they have been cleared for donation, the brave volunteers are handled by experienced medical specialists who effectively draw the blood. The experience is virtually painless, it only lasts about an hour, including the medical examination, but it could represent the difference between life and death for those who depend on receiving the blood.
After the blood sample is taken, a part of it will be required for the extensive testing procedures that is must go through in order to be declared valid and introduced into the blood bank.
The blood sample is tested for a wide range of infectious diseases, various blood component dysfunctions and for the presence of various substances that could potentially harm the person receiving the blood sample, so that it is ensured that the blood transfusion does not pose any unnecessary risk to the receiver.
All those who want to donate, are advised to call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) and ask for further information, if necessary, and make an appointment at their earliest convenience.
There is also an app created by the Red Cross that could actually simply the process of getting an appointment. The American Red Cross Blood Donor App can be easily downloaded from Google Play or other similar platforms and it has the advantage of being highly accessible.
Therefore, the Red Cross strongly urges all those who are willing to take a an hour in order to save a life. Be a hero for the people around you and donate!
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