Vitalant, a nonprofit company, regularly partners with University of Idaho and other companies as blood drive coordinators. On Wednesday, Feb. 17, head to the ISUB to give blood in order to help community members.
Joe Fairbanks, Vitalant territory manager, sets up blood drives in the Washington-Idaho area. Blood donors are always needed to maintain an adequate blood supply for patients, but during the holidays and the COVID-19 pandemic, donor numbers have dropped sharply.
“Even though we are going through the pandemic, people are forgetting about donating blood,” Fairbanks said.
According to Fairbanks, a lot of folks seem hesitant to give donations at this time, worried about safety. During the current health crisis, Vitalant has put into place several safety measures to ensure the process is secure. These include well-ventilated areas, good physical distancing, wearing a mask and a health questionnaire.
“We’re going to ask you about your health whether during the pandemic or not,” Fairbanks said.
Donating blood is important, and every two seconds a patient in the U.S. needs blood. Donations are tested, processed, stored and then distributed to up to three people within 42 days of donation. For some UI students, donating blood can be counted as credit or community participation hours for courses, Fairbanks said, providing a further incentive to donate.
Donors can sign up online, which is encouraged, although walk-ins are available. Before becoming a blood donor, participants need to make sure they are eligible to donate blood. Donors must be at least 16, minors must have paperwork signed by a parent or legal guardian, must meet height and weight guidelines, and must meet health history requirements. There must be at least 56 days between donations, which means donors can donate up to 6 times per year.
If people are unable to donate blood but are passionate about doing so, they can still volunteer to host a blood drive and spread the word by talking to friends or a family, called a blood buddy, to donate blood in their name. This is a great way to keep up the energy about donating blood, said Fairbanks. People unable to donate blood can also look into donating plasma, palette or marrow.
“Make sure that you eat. Stay hydrated. Those things are very important for a safe donation,” Fairbanks said.
Events such as the one at UI this week will serve 8 people every hour for safety. The process from start to finish takes roughly 45 minutes, and includes completing paperwork, a health screening and donating.
In case potential donors miss Wednesday’s event, there are a variety of blood drives on the Palouse. Every week, there is a blood drive at Moscow’s Best Western, and the next one is Monday, Feb. 22. Monthly, there is a blood drive at UI. The next two blood drives on campus at the ISUB will be Tuesday, March 2 and Thursday, April 8. For more information about donations, or to sign up to be a donor, visit Vitalant’s site here.
Esther David can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @Esther_David_