Ferrum College hosted its annual blood drive in the Fitness Center on Feb. 14.
During the drive, there were 23 people who came to donate, two were referred due to things like low iron, and the other 21 had successful collections.
In total, 21 units were collected.
“In the past, Ferrum used to do large blood drives. We used to have 60, 70, 80 people show up,” claimed Red Cross representative Doug Rubel. “Post Covid blood drives have been smaller, not only at Ferrum, but nationwide. And there’s just not that commitment to civic community that we saw before Covid.”
In recent years, since Covid, the amount of blood that has been donated has lessened. It has gone from 60 pallets of usable blood, to around 25, and while the necessary amount of blood is still in circulation to ensure that people get it if they need it, it is still significantly less than the Red Cross would have liked.
While the number of donations have decreased, the organization still has the necessary amount needed in order for the medical industry to function.
“We’re trying to get the numbers up here,” Rubel said. “It has been a challenge, but we are going to make our goal–but we aren’t going to get the 60-80 that we used to. The goal today was 25 good units.”
He said they had hoped to get 30 useable donations.
“It’s been a real push to get 25-35 people here today, but it looks like we’re going to do it,” he said. “The goal for the blood drive here at Ferrum and anywhere else is based on the last three blood drives’ average, so where we used to have 60 pre-Covid, we now have 25-30 post-Covid.”
While the Red Cross, and hospitals in general, are not in a detrimental need of blood, there is always a need for it. The amount of blood donated went has gone from 40% coming from high schools and colleges, down to 25%.
“We used to count on colleges and high schools for one-third of the blood supply pre-Covid,” said Rubel.
Blood has a shelf life of 42 days, with people being able to give blood every 56 days. The most common types are O positive and A positive.
O negative is the universal donor; they are able to give blood to anybody who needs it. The rarest blood type in the world is RH-null, so rare, in fact, that there are only 50 people in the world that have it. They are encouraged to donate it whenever they are given the chance to do so.
Officials say there are almost no downsides to donating. It’s an hour out of someone’s day with a small needle prick in the arm. The entire process is mostly painless, and donors usually won’t feel any worse for the ware afterward.
People can normally donate a pint with no complications and can lose up to 2 pints before adverse effects start to occur.
“I feel like this is a good cause,” said Sierra Pope, sophomore. “Because of the people who need it, and you’re not going to need all this blood for yourself. You rejuvenate. Just to give back.”
Allen Curden, a blood-drive technician said there are reasons people come out to donate.
“To feel useful and do their part,” he said.
They will attempt to host another blood drive sometime in the beginning of April.
