Red Cross Blood Drive

Blood donations are crucial to maintaining the health and well-being of patients across the country, and with the need for blood constantly rising, there has never been a better time to give. On Wednesday, November 13, the Red Cross is providing an excellent opportunity to allow those who wish to donate blood. At 9:00AM through 3:00PM in the Bulmer Telecommun-ications Center (BTC), students and staff are able to schedule an appointment for the donation through the Red Cross website.

To ensure that blood donations are managed efficiently and safely, it’s required to schedule an appointment ahead of time.

When booking an appointment, there will be two options: Power Red or Blood. These appointments mean different things and are different types of donations. Power Red donation does collect the red blood cells but returns most of the plasma and platelets to the donor. To do this, there are specific requirements such as having type A Neg, B Neg, or O blood. On the other hand, Blood is the most common type of donation where one pint of blood is usually taken.

There are some requirements that need to be taken into account when someone is interested in donating blood. The person must be in good health with a maintained iron level. Moreover, there are height and weight requirements for those who are 18 or younger listed on the Red Cross Website. Those donating blood should weigh 110 lbs or more. It is also important to have forms of ID like a student ID or driver’s license. If unsure about the eligibility to donate, the Red Cross website provides an excellent webpage about the requirements for those interested at “Eligibility Requirements – Red Cross Blood”.