Many of us here at BHS know that every year HOSA sponsors a blood drive in which students and the staff can donate blood or plasma to the people in desperate need of it. The turnout this year was less than last year’s turnout, however the Red Cross was able to donate 126 units of whole blood, and almost 40 double red units which is still pretty impressive according to the HOSA director Mrs. Skaare. Many of you who are skeptical about giving blood may be wondering what are the requirements in giving blood or plasma, where does the blood go, and what is the difference between giving blood or plasma?

I was able to contact Mrs. Skaare the HOSA director who answered some of these questions. When asked Why are there certain requirements that an individual has to meet before he/she can give blood, Mrs. Skaare answered with “When you are depleting people of their blood, people can feel sick. The precautions taken are to assure that no one giving blood gets nausea, faints or has a reaction.” The Red Cross wants to make sure that when you are about to give blood you meet certain requirements to make sure that you are healthy and giving healthy blood to a person in need of it. The next question I had for Mrs. Skaare was Where does all the donated blood go? Mrs. Skaare said that most of the blood goes to local hospitals, to help people who need blood transfusions or other things. You also have the option to donate plasma. Many of you may be wondering what the difference is when giving blood versus plasma – Mrs. Skaare answered with “Blood is known as the liquid substance.  Blood contains the minerals, proteins and nutrients our bodies need to develop cells, tissue and organs.  The Red Cross considers our blood donations as Whole Blood Donations which means that the blood donated contains these components: Red Blood Cells, White Blood Cells, Plasma and Platelets. Transfused, the blood will be separated in that order.Plasma is the main component in blood.  It is mostly commonly used in Blood Transfusions.  It is the yellow liquid part of whole blood.”

The requirements when giving plasma differ from the requirements of giving blood. Here are the different requirements according to Mrs. Skaare “To give Plasma: A person must be in good health, 17, have blood pressure of an acceptable range, a body temperature that does not exceed 99.5 and a regular pulse.  A person must also be at least 110 pounds.  Giving Plasma can take about an hour.To give Blood: The Blood Donor requirements changes regularly.  The Red Cross has greater restrictions than other donation centers.  The restrictions also vary from state to state.  In MN ,  students who donate may be 16 years of age with parent consent.  As of right now, requirements are very similar to giving plasma.”

Another thing that was brought to my attention by a fellow teacher was why can’t you give blood if you have been out of the country recently? Mrs. Skaare answered with “The U.S. is very strict about vaccinations to assure the safety of the general public.  Many foreign countries do not have the same restrictions, people can contract a bacterial or viral infection that could spread.” The Red Cross wants to make sure that no bacterial or viral infection is spread, they take certain precautions to keep the public safe and healthy.

The blood drive is a huge event for all HOSA participants. When asked how long it takes HOSA to set up for this event Mrs. Skaare answered with “Blaine HOSA works with the Red Cross to set up a date for the blood drive. The date has to be picked about 6 months in advance.  Once the Red Cross decides on openings, the date has to be approved by the activities office, physical education, and the school calendar.” This takes several months of planning to make sure that everything runs smoothly. Along with the extensive planning, some HOSA club members are assigned a certain job like post canteen, sign in, walkers, and bedside to make sure that the people who are giving blood are accompanied at all times.

Overall this blood drive was very successful and nothing concerning happened. If you are skeptical about giving blood at the next blood drive hopefully this article made you feel a bit better about giving blood, or instilled you with some knowledge about the process and requirements of giving blood. The next blood drive will be sponsored by NHS in the spring of 2016.