Out For Blood

HOSA Sponsors Schoolwide Blood Drive

The+van+of+We+Are+Blood%2C+the+primary+blood+donation+organization+in+the+Austin+area%2C+sits+outside+the+school.+According+to+senior+and+HOSA+officer+Jennifer+Pham%2C+the+blood+drive+required+coordinating+with+We+Are+Blood+and+the+school.+%E2%80%9CPlanning+the+blood+drive+required+many+months+of+planning+and+lots+of+communication+with+the+company+We+Are+Blood+and+the+school%2C%E2%80%9D+Pham+said.+%E2%80%9CFor+us+to+have+a+successful+blood+drive%2C+there+were+lots+of+requirements+that+we+had+to+meet.+We+had+to+have+a+certain+amount+of+donors+to+even+be+considered.%E2%80%9D%0A

Jaden Kolenbrander

The van of We Are Blood, the primary blood donation organization in the Austin area, sits outside the school. According to senior and HOSA officer Jennifer Pham, the blood drive required coordinating with We Are Blood and the school. “Planning the blood drive required many months of planning and lots of communication with the company We Are Blood and the school,” Pham said. “For us to have a successful blood drive, there were lots of requirements that we had to meet. We had to have a certain amount of donors to even be considered.”

Jaden Kolenbrander, Editor

Just one donation can save three lives. That’s why HOSA organized the first schoolwide blood drive to take place since the COVID-19 pandemic on March 30, taking blood from a total of 55 donors.

The drive went from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the lecture hall and let anyone above the age of 17 with a minimum weight of 115 pounds and a signed parental consent form participate. According to senior and HOSA officer Jennifer Pham, the drive was meticulously planned with other organizations.

Planning the blood drive required many months of planning and lots of communication with the company We Are Blood and the school,” Pham said. “For us to have a successful blood drive, there were lots of requirements that we had to meet. We had to have a certain amount of donors to even be considered.”

Once a donor was screened per blood donation guidelines, they were taken to one out of several desks in the room where stations were set up. Their arm was then sanitized while they received instructions for the process, which involved sticking a needle into the donor’s arm and letting the blood drain out into a small container. Afterwards, they were free to go, although a few donors did feel the side effects of having a relatively large amount of blood drain quickly.

“The side effects of donating blood are different for everyone,” Pham said. “When in the room, I saw some donors feeling faint and nauseous, while others were completely fine.”

All in all, the blood drive took blood from 55 donors, which Pham said was equal to 165 lives saved. According to Pham, the amount of demand for blood at any given time is extremely high, as the American Red Cross estimates that someone in the U.S. requires a blood transfusion every two seconds. Anything from injuries with significant blood loss sustained during a car crash or natural disaster to illnesses that cause anemia, like leukemia and kidney disease, require a blood transfusion.

This year was our first time planning and bringing back the blood drive since COVID-19,” Pham said. “As a HOSA officer, our team wanted to help the community because blood is highly demanded every year.”

With a successful blood drive under their belt, Pham said HOSA wishes to establish a more regular, annual blood drive that students could participate in. A few tweaks, however, will be made to their original plan.

During the blood drive, some people wanted to donate but didn’t know about it,” Pham said. “Something we could change is improving our advertising about the blood drive to more people at school so others are aware of the upcoming blood drive.  Blood drives help people in need and people in the community [and save] the lives of others.”