You can give blood

    If you are at least 17 years old. If you weigh at least 110 lbs.

Did you Know?

    By age 72, about 95% of all Americans will need blood at some point.    Aproximately 60% of the population are medically able to donate blood, but only 5% do. When you donate whole blood, you give slightly less than a pint, which is only a tenth of your total blood supply. Your donated whole blood is separated into three components: red cells, plasma, and platelets. Or you can give blood components via automation to help patients with special needs. Every year, 4.5 million Americans would die without life-saving blood transfusions.

" In the last century, transfusions have saved more lives than any therapy except antibiotics."

 Harvey Klein, M.D. Chief of Transfusion Medicine National Institutes of Health

Steps in the Blood Donation Process

 It is important to eat before donating blood. Do not give blood on an empty stomach. A donor form must be completed. You will be asked questions to make sure that you are healthy enough to donate. This is for your safety, as well as for the patients who receive your blood. Next you are given a mini-physical. A technician checks your blood pressure, pulse rate, temperature and the iron content of your blood to make sure they are within acceptable limits to give blood. While donating blood, you will recline in a comfortable chair. Blood will be drawn through a needle near the bend of your arm. A whole blood donation takes approximately ten minutes. If you are giving blood using automated blood collection technology, your donation may take from 25 to 120 minutes, depending on the type of procedure selected. After your donation, you should sit, rest for five to ten minutes and enjoy refreshments. Be sure to eat nourishing meals and drink plenty of liquids for 24 hours after giving blood, and follow the post-donation instructions provided.

What's Your Type?

        Type                % of pop.

            A+                    34%

            A-                       6%

            B+                      9%

            B-                       2%

          AB+                      3%

          AB-                       1%

            O+                     38%

            O-                        7%                               

What is needed in your blood?

• Red cells: blood cells that transport oxygen to body cells and remove carbon dioxide from the bloodstream.
• White cells (leukocytes): blood cells that protect the bloodstream from bacteria.
• Platelets: blood cells that help control bleeding by helping the clotting process.
• Plasma: consisting of 92 percent water, seven percent protein and one percent minerals, it's the source for gamma globulin, albumin and clotting factors.

Thanks to advances in medical technology, blood can be separated into its different components. Hence, a unit can be broken down into these components, which then can be given to people who have different blood needs.

• Red blood cells are used to treat anemia and blood loss resulting from trauma and surgery. Some heart operations can use up to 20 pints of red cells. Liver transplants normally use 10-20 pints and a hip replacement, 1-3 pints.
• Platelets are commonly used in treating cancers like leukemia. One patient can require the platelets from eight or more individual donations every day for weeks.
• Plasma is used for treating hemophilia, surgical shock, severe burns and immunodeficiency.

Who you'll be helping

The people who need blood come in all ages and from all ethnic and economic walks of life. They require transfusions to replace blood they've lost during surgery, because of accidents or internal bleeding, and to treat diseases. Many recipients are hospital patients. Others are people who appear to be healthy. Chances are you know people who have received a blood transfusion. They include: