| GIVE
THE GIFT OF LIFE:
Your blood is a precious gift that can help another
person recover from an illness or injury. Blood donors always
are urgently needed.
SCHEDULING:
To schedule an appointment or to find a mobile donation
site close to you:
Call 1-800-GIVE-LIFE
(1-800-448-3543)
LOCATION:
Red Cross Blood Donation Center:
313 E. Battlefield
Springfield, MO 65807
ELIGIBILITY:
To
be eligible:
- In Missouri or Kansas, you must be 17 years of age.
- In Illinois, you can be 16 years of age if you have
an American Red Cross consent form signed by your parent
or legal guardian.
- You must weigh 110 pounds.
- You must be in good health and feeling well the day
of the donation.
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to top Questions and Answers
Is it safe to give
blood?
Yes, it is very safe. Each needle used in the procedure
is sterile and is disposed
of after a single use.
How often can I donate blood?
People in good health who weigh at least 110 pounds can donate
a unit of blood as often as every eight weeks. Some states may
further limit the number and/or
frequency of donations in a 12-month period.
Where can I go to donate blood?
There are many places where donations can be made. Bloodmobiles travel to high
schools, colleges, churches, and other community organizations. People can also
donate at community blood centers and hospital-based donor centers. Many people
donate at blood drives at their workplace. To find out where you can donate,
call 1-800-GIVE-LIFE.
What is plateletpheresis?
Although most blood is donated as whole blood, it is also possible
to donate only a portion of blood using a technique called apheresis.
Blood is drawn from
the vein of a donor into an apheresis instrument, which separates the blood into
different portions by centrifugation. By appropriately adjusting the instrument,
a selected portion of the blood, such as the platelets, can be recovered, while
the rest of the blood is returned to the donor either into the same vein or into
a vein in the other arm. This process takes more time than whole blood donation,
but the yield of platelets is much greater. Platelets collected by apheresis
are particularly useful for patients who require numerous platelet transfusions,
for example cancer patients who have received chemotherapy.
Can a patient donate his or her own blood for use in surgery?
Yes. When blood transfusions are anticipated, such as upcoming elective surgery,
a person can donate blood for his or her own use. Autologous blood donation refers
to a process whereby the patient provides his or her own blood. There are three
types of autologous procedures available for a patient undergoing surgery. Preoperative
autologous donation, in which the patient donates his or her own blood prior
to the surgery, is the most common form of autologous transfusion. Intraoperative
and postoperative cell salvage are two other ways of saving blood lost during
or immediately after surgery for return to the donor/patient.
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Did you know:
- 52% of all surgeries require Type O blood.
- A single trauma victim may need as many as 50 units
of blood.
- Type O Negative blood is the only universal type;
meaning it can be given to persons with any blood type
in life-threatening situations when there is not time
for typing and cross-matching of blood. Only 7% of
the population have Type O negative blood.
- Type O positive blood is found in 38 % of the population.
Anyone with a positive blood type (85 percent of the
population) can receive Type O positive blood.
- Less than 5 % of healthy Americans eligible to donate
actually donate each year.
- Over 95 % of all Americans reaching age 72 will need
blood or a blood product in their lifetime.
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