Taft’s Fall Blood Drive
Taft Blood Drive was a Success
On September 26, 2019, ASB ran Taft’s annual blood drive at Taft Hall. Taft Hall was filled with many students as hip and joyful music was being played. There were even resting areas where students received free food after donating blood! It was all well organized to make it as comfortable for those who donated.
The sign-ups for the blood drive are only provided online to make it more convenient for everyone. For Taft’s staff, alumni, and parents they go through the fast-tracked process which speeds up the process for the personal questionnaire. The requirements to donate are to be 17 years or older and weigh 110 Lbs. If you are 16 years old, you must weigh 135 lbs along with a signed parental consent form. Associate director Armando Romero said, “ besides age and weight, being in good health, not taking any antibiotics, checking if you have high enough iron levels and blood pressure, which we do screen tests here at Taft before donating blood. Those are just some other basic requirements.”
All blood donations go to Cedars-Sinai, which is a non-profit hospital located in Los Angeles. Cedar-Sinai, Dave Keys is Taft’s representative who helps organize the blood drive. Each person donates up to 2 pints of blood. One person’s donation can save up to three lives so imagine all the lives that could be saved! The blood donations usually go to cancer, trauma, transplant, or surgical patients.
The nurses there make sure that all needles are sterilized and new to make sure that it is safe for the students. Before checking for your blood they do a private questionnaire. They ask confidential questions about your health and lifestyle. The next step is the screening process which is a process of blood drawn to check if the blood they collect is tested for any infectious diseases before transfusing it. The FDA do inspections to make sure that everything is safe, clean and managed well.
When asked Junior, Zulema Solis why she wanted to donate blood, she said, “ I always wanted to donate blood. It’s for the people who need it and I feel good about myself because I am doing something good. There are a lot of people who have illnesses so I am glad that I can help them.” This was a common response most students would give explaining why they wanted to donate. It is a good reason because you are not only helping save lives, but it makes you feel like a good person.
The associate director Armando Romero from Cedar-Sinai discussed how Taft is one the busiest high school that Cedar-Sinai receives blood donations from. “Assuming 150 units of blood is what we get here at Taft. We save up to 300 people which is amazing because at Cedar-Sinai we have tons of patients that have all sorts of different surgeries, transplants, so this blood is needed.” Taft supports Cedar-Sinai which helps people who come from different parts of Southern California.
If you were unable to donate blood this year because of age or weight, hopefully, you will meet the requirements and be able to attend Taft’s next blood drive. If you could not donate blood due to health reasons such as having the flu or being low on iron, do not be discouraged. Make sure to watch out for any viruses, get check-ups regularly, and eat foods rich in iron. This way you will able to donate in the next 3 months when Cedar-Sinai comes back to Taft!
https://www.cedars-sinai.org/programs/blood-donor-services/about-donation.html
