By Arielle Follett
Students and faculty flocked to the cafeteria on Jan. 23 for the Canadian Blood Services first donor clinic of the year.
Algonquin hosts the clinics regularly, but this one was especially vital due to within shortages of blood.
The Canadian Blood Services target for the day was 58 units and 88 appointments.
“We try to hold blood drives at schools because students are an important part of our donor base,” said Annie Barrette, communications specialist with the Canadian Blood Services. “Our biggest demographic is those 45 to 55-years-old, but our second largest is 17 to 24-year-olds.”
Most blood-collecting agencies also see a decline when donors reach 25 to 35-years-old. This is due to the typical life-events at this age, such as moving away, getting busy with a career and pregnancy – during and after which women cannot donate.
“This is why people need to experience blood donation at a young age,” said Barrette. “If we introduce the concept in high school or postsecondary, hopefully they will have a positive experience and want to continue donating. This is how we get life-long donors.”
Getting the word out is vital for a successful donor session.
“I got an email from my teachers,” said Stacey Randell, first-year police foundations student. “I figured it was a nice thing to do.”
Grant Perry, acting manager of Financial Services at the college and blood clinic attendee echoes this statement. “It’s just something I always do,” he said. “I’ve been doing it for 15 years.”
Attracting donors all comes down to expressing how badly blood is needed.
“Every minute of every day, someone needs blood,” said Barrette.
Perry began donating after having children.
“I would want someone to do it for them if they needed it,” said Perry. “I figure I had better do it for someone else’s kid.”
“Before drawing blood, the donor must register at the front counter, during which their blood will be tested for hemoglobin by pricking their finger,” said Stephanie Healey, a nurse working at the blood clinic. “After this, the donor must fill out a confidential questionnaire and are given an info pamphlet to read.”
Finally, the donor comes to the bed where their arms are assessed.
“An arm is chosen to draw blood from, the nurse explains the procedure and then begins cleaning the arm and inserting the needle. A machine monitors the blood and stops at its target,” said Healey.
The target is one unit. A single unit of blood is extracted per person, measuring in at just over 500 ml, only a small fraction of the up-to six quarts of blood the average adult carries.
The problem is that blood has a shelf-life.
A unit of blood contains blood plasma, red and white blood cells and platelets. Platelets will only last five days, while red blood cells will last about a month-and-a-half.
Platelet-only extractions can be done on-site at the Canadian Blood Services clinic located at 1575 Carling Ave. Platelets clot blood at the site of a wound and are often used for treating cancer patients. Blood plasma makes up about 55 per cent of blood volume. Its job is to maintain blood pressure and volume. White blood cells act as immune system responders. Most only survive a few hours, but some can survive up to a year. Red blood cells make up 40 to 50 per cent of blood volume. They transport oxygen from the lungs and carry away carbon dioxide.
A car accident victim will need about 50 units of blood. A cancer victim can use five to eight per week. This is why a high donor recruitment rate is crucial.