American Red Cross Blood Donation
Give the gift of life: blood. The American Red Cross says every minute, someone is in need of blood. However, just 3 in 100 people make that critical donation. Giving blood is an easy and virtually painless process, but each year the Red Cross faces crippling blood shortages. You can do your part to maintain a constant blood supply.
Other People Are Reading
-
Donor Qualifications
-
There are stipulations to donate blood. The Red Cross has a list of qualifications you must meet. Those include:
• You must be at least 17 years-old.
• You must weigh at least 110 pounds.
• You must be healthy and free of illness or fever.
• You may not have given blood within the previous 8 weeks.
You will be given an examination before your donation, to ensure your health and eligibility to donate blood. Your temperature, pulse, blood pressure and blood count will be measured.
Donation Frequency
-
Blood donors must wait at least 8 weeks between donations of one pint of whole blood. However, if you donate 2 units of red blood cells you must then wait 16 weeks. The body must replenish the lost blood.
-
Time Frame
-
The donation process will take approximately an hour from registration to blood donation. You will be asked to give a brief history on your health and you will be given the examination. If you qualify, it will take about 10 minutes to take the blood. You will then be given juice and possibly a cookie and monitored before you leave the facility.
Effects
-
Most donors do not have physical effects from blood donation. It is important to take advantage of the light refreshments following your donation. This is to prevent light dizziness or fainting. Your body must replace the fluids lost through your donation. If you drink plenty of fluids it will help with that process, which takes about 24 hours.
How it's Used
-
Donated blood is closely processed from you to its hospitalized recipient. The blood is immediately placed in temperature regulated container, and transported to a Red Cross lab for testing. It is then separated into red blood cells, plasma and platelets. The different components can be transfused to multiple patients, depending on their individual needs. If you are questioning why to give blood remember. One generous donation of a unit of blood could help save multiple lives.
-
