Eight minutes can save a life
In the time it takes to read this story, 180 Americans
will need a transfusion of blood
 The
eight minutes it takes to donate a unit of blood can
help save a life, and could help a HFM BOCES student
pursue a career in health care.
The American Red Cross Blood Drive, scheduled for
Friday, Oct. 16, from 7:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. in the HFM
BOCES gymnasium, helps provide a Red Cross High School
Scholarship Award for a HFM BOCES student.
The Red Cross scholarship, worth $200-$700, is awarded
to a student from the health careers program who is
pursuing a career in health care and continuing
post-secondary studies. HFM BOCES qualifies for the
scholarship by hosting at least two blood drives during
the year, and reaching a 25 percent student
participation level. The number of blood drives and
participation determines the amount of the scholarship.
Donating blood is quick, easy and safe. Anyone at least
17 years of age, or 16 with a parent's permission, is
eligible to donate. After a Red Cross representative
leads a potential donor through a health history
screening, the donor is directed to a bed, where another
Red Cross technician uses a new, sterile needle to
collect a unit of whole blood. The actual donation takes
about eight minutes.
Donated blood helps accident victims, surgery patients,
cancer patients, bone marrow transplant recipients, burn
victims, and people suffering shock or dehydration or
anyone else needing a blood transfusion, explained BOCES
nurse Kim Bursese.
“We are looking for more people, especially for certain,
hard-to-find blood types,” said Red Cross Supervisor
Renie Ball. “And we will take as much O-positive blood
as we can get.”
O-positive blood is sometimes called the “universal
donor” because it is a common type and can be safely
given to a person with any other positive blood type.
New technology allows certain donors to give double the
amount of red blood cells in a single visit. Called
“Double Red,” the automated system is designed to safely
separate blood into red blood cells and plasma as it's
being donated. The plasma and other components, along
with a unit of saline, are returned to the donor, while
twice the amount of red cells is collected than from a
standard whole blood donation.
“The process does take longer, and there are additional
requirements to be eligible,” said Ball. “But the
results are two units of red cells from one donor, which
are typically easier for a body to accept during a
transfusion.”
The Red Cross is especially grateful for student donors.
Some statistics show that nearly 25 percent of blood
donations come from high school and college donors.
“We cannot say thank you enough times to the people that
donate,” said Ball.
Anyone interested in donating blood should contact HFM
BOCES nurse Kim Bursese at 736-4681, ext. 4656 to make
an appointment.
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