On Friday, Nov. 3rd, Dallastown’s Health STAT club hosted their 15th Annual Blood Drive with Central Penn Blood Bank. In order to donate, participants had to be 16 or older and over 120 pounds.
The first step in donating is checking in. At the check in, a nurse checks the donor’s name and address to see if they donated before, and when, to see if it is safe for them to donate. They also have the donor answer questions about their health, medications that they are on, and when and where they have traveled. These are important because it can affect your blood. A nurse also checks donor’s blood pressure, heart rate, and temperature.
After registration, donors exit the building through the pool lobby doors, and enter through the back door of the bus.
After entering the bus, the final step begins: Donation. This step takes about 5-10 minutes.
It felt rewarding donating blood. It didn’t hurt and was a quick process, and the doctors were very polite.
— Easton Kern, Junior
Finally, the donors re-enter the building and are given one of these shirts.
In total, Dallastown collected 34 units of blood from the 34 donors. In total, the blood drive saved up to 102 lives. In preparation for next year’s blood drive, future donors can eat more iron-rich foods and drink more hydrating beverages.
Future donors should also avoid things like caffeine.
After donating, make sure to rest. The body goes through an intense physical process in order to replenish lost blood, so resting will help speed it up.
To reach out to the Health STAT club, email Anya Lebouitz or talk to Mr. Herbert in room 230.
