Blood drive to help save lives
Campus Times
March 7, 1997
In effort to help the American Red Cross save lives, the University
of La Verne spring blood drive will be held on Tuesday from 9:30 a.m. to
2:45 p.m. in the Old Gym.
Sophomore Kenia Magallanes, vice president of Circle K, said, "Our
club is based on community service and that is why we help with the blood
drive each semester."
Last fall, 60 people signed up for the blood drive and 40 of them donated
blood, compared to the 29 who volunteered last year at this time.
"A total of 40 pints of blood was collected in the fall blood drive,"
said Maureen Pray, licensed vocational nurse.
To be eligible to give blood, donors must be at least 17 years old,
weigh 110 pounds and be in good health.
Donors will be permanently deferred if they have had one of the following
ailments: hepatitis B, or non-A, non-B hepatitis at any age, a heart attack
or chronic heart disease, a malignancy treated by chemothearapy, diabetes
that requires the use of insulin or anyone who is at risk for AIDS.
Common reasons for temporary deferral include those who have had an
attack of malaria, an epileptic seizure, coronary bypass surgery, surgical
removal of cancer or have been treated for syphilis or gonorrhea. People
who have been tattooed in the past year or have been pregnant, miscarried,
given birth or had an abortion within the past six weeks cannot donate blood,
either.
At the time of donation, every donor's vital signs, hemoglobin and medical
history will be checked by a nurse in order to ensure safety.
"They test the blood very thoroughly," said Pray.
A very important fact to know is that an estimated 1,500 volunteer donors
are needed everyday, because more than 1,000 people use blood daily in Los
Angeles and Orange counties.
Blood is essential for patients undergoing surgery and those with tramatic
injuries, such as gunshot wounds or bleeding caused by auto accidents.
"Our school blood drives are successful, especially when students
bring extra people to donate," Magallanes said.
In a statistic of 100 donors, 85 of them comply O, A, B and AB Positive
blood. The remaining 15 have O, A, B and AB Negative blood types.
"Some of the methods we use to get people to sign up are sending
out flyers to mailboxes, sending phone messages, publicizing the blood drive
in "Spots To Watch," "Newsflash" and on KULV,"
said Pray.
To participate in the blood drive, students and faculty can call Pray
at ext. 4254, or sign up at the Student Center desk. A form of identification
will be required at the time of donation.