- How do you organize a blood
donor program in your organization?
- What is the procedure for
donating blood?
- What happens after donation?
- Why should your organization
sponsor a blood drive?
- How much blood do I have in
my body?
- Are the health and history
questions necessary every time?
- How can I increase my iron level?
- Does WKRBC pay donors for giving
blood?
- Is the Western Kentucky Regional
Blood Center affiliated with the Red Cross?
1.
Select a group chairperson.
This person will act as a contact between the Blood
Center and your organization.
2.
Contact your Blood Center representative.
The Blood Center staff will work with your
organization in selecting a process for recruiting and
scheduling your donors in a manner that best suits your
organization. The Blood Center will provide the
information and recruiting materials needed to produce a
successful blood drive. Speakers, posters,
schedules, pledge cards, and other materials are available
to get your program started successfully.
Each donor is first asked questions regarding their
medical history. A mini-physical is then performed
recording temperature, blood pressure, pulse and
hematocrit. After passing this screening process,
the individual will be able to donate which takes
approximately 5 - 10 minutes. Upon completion of
donating blood, the donor will be asked to sit for a few
minutes and enjoy a soft drink and cookie. The
entire process takes approximately 30 minutes.
The blood
collected is taken to the Blood Center on Old Hartford
Road where each unit is typed and tested by laboratory
technologists. After testing, the blood is
distributed to the area hospitals supplied by Western
Kentucky Regional Blood Center. Those hospitals
include Owensboro-Mercy Health System, Ohio County
Hospital and Jennie Stuart Medical Center in Hopkinsville.
Each
donor will receive a blood type identification card within
ten days of the drive. The chairperson of your
organization will receive a letter stating the results of
the blood drive along with a list of participants.
Sponsoring a blood drive is an easy way to give members of
your organization a chance to give a gift to their
community as precious as life itself. It costs
nothing but a little time, and a Blood Center
representative will be available to help you in every way
possible. You will feel great knowing you are
helping hospital patients regain their health.
Western
Kentucky Regional Blood Center requires over 14,500 donors
per year in order to supply the blood needs of our local
hospitals. Every donation is very important to the
community and is certainly needed.
As a general rule, women have approximately 10 pints
and men have approximately 12 pints of blood.
To ensure the safest blood supply, all screening
questions must be asked of all donors at each donation.
The FDA requires that all blood centers conform to this
practice.
Donors may be deferred from donating due to a low iron
(hematocrit) level. This requirement is for the
safety of the donor to ensure that after donation, the
donor's iron level will still be within the normal range
for a healthy adult. A deferral for low hematocrit
does not mean that a donor is anemic as hematocrit levels
can fluctuate daily. Easting food high in iron (e.g.
red meat, dark green vegetables, raisins) or taking a
multivitamin with iron may help increase iron levels.
The Western Kentucky Regional Blood Center is fully
committed to remaining a volunteer donor supported
organization and does not pay for blood donations.
Additionally, FDA regulations do not permit compensation
for blood that is used for transfusion purposes as studies
have shown that volunteer donors provide a safer blood
supply.
NO. Patients and hospitals in 11 counties are
served primarily by the Western Kentucky Regional Blood
Center, which is a non-profit community supported
organization.
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