Every two seconds someone in the United States requires a blood transfusion. Every day 29,000 units of blood are required to fill the critical need. In winter, when inclement weather and seasonal illness keep potential donors at home, the threat of blood supply shortages becomes especially acute. For 55 years the government has designated January as National Blood Donor Month, encouraging Americans to roll up their sleeves and give the gift of life.
Blood cannot be manufactured; it comes solely from volunteers, whose donations are essential in treating patients with blood loss from surgery, traumatic injury, chemotherapy and blood disorders. Despite the pressing need, only 3% of eligible Americans donate blood. Compounding the challenge, the American Red Cross has reported a staggering 40% drop in blood donations over the past two decades.
According to the Association for Blood Donor Professionals, 62% of Americans are eligible to donate blood, but many often refrain due to fears that the process is painful, time-consuming or dangerous. In reality, donating one unit of blood — about one pint, less than a tenth of the body’s total supply — takes just 10 minutes. Disposable, sterile equipment is used for each donor, so there’s no chance of contracting a bloodborne infection. Donors suffer no significant health impacts; the only discomfort is from the pinch of a needle stick and the pressure of the tourniquet.
Credit: Courtesy of wikipedia.org
Donors must be 17 years old and weigh at least 110 pounds: There are no upper age or weight limits. Those with stable medical conditions like diabetes and hypertension can give blood. (Always check with your health provider first.) The average person can donate blood every two months, up to six times a year. Temporary restrictions include episodic illness like the flu or taking certain medications, such as blood thinners. People with a history of hepatitis B or C, HIV/AIDS or blood cancers are permanently ineligible.
Once a pint of blood is donated, it is separated by centrifuge into its components: red cells (oxygen carriers), platelets and certain blood proteins (essential to proper clotting) and plasma (the liquid that carries blood cells and nutrients). The blood is transported on ice to a local lab, where it is typed, then screened for infectious diseases like Hepatitis B and C, HIV, syphilis and West Nile virus. Red blood cells must be used within seven weeks; platelets, within five days; frozen plasma lasts up to one year.
Some donors choose to give specific blood elements, like red cells or platelets, by a process called apheresis, which produces a much higher yield of blood products. The desired component is separated from the rest of the blood, which is then circulated back to the donor. This takes two to four hours, and yields twice as many red blood cells and five times as many platelets than standard donations.
The Red Cross recommends eating an iron-rich meal the day of your donation, which includes deep green vegetables, lean meats or whole grains found in bread and cereal. Drink 16 ounces of water with the meal, and an additional glass just before your appointment. The donation site will provide a snack right after you give blood. If you’re going to donate platelets, take no aspirin for two days before your appointment. Upon returning home, drink plenty of water and avoid vigorous exercise for the rest of the day.
Blood collection and distribution in New York state is provided by two nonprofit organizations: the American Red Cross and the New York Blood Center (NYBC).
Mobile blood drives make it easy to give: All the necessary equipment for donating is brought to a convenient location. Stissing Mountain High School’s Key Club sponsors blood donation events in Pine Plains every spring and autumn; Our Lady of Hope in Copake Falls and the Stanford Fire Company have events scheduled in the next few weeks. Donor appointments are also available four days a week at the NYBC in Fishkill.
To find out where you can donate blood near you, visit donate.nybc.org.
Dr. Mary Jenkins, a contributor to the Herald and member of its board of directors, retired after nearly 40 years as a family practice physician in New York state.