Madison High School continues to give back, in their recent participation with a Red Cross blood drive. Students were encouraged to give blood Tuesday, April 23, 2013 blocks one and two in the main gym. The Red Cross had many volunteers hosting the drive, along with Madison High Students who volunteered to help. Students were told about the drive in their gym classes weeks before, and as long as they meet the criteria, were encouraged to donate.
Not enough people in the world today donate blood, or even qualify to do so. However, those who do meet the criteria often hesitate to donate blood, which is why drives like this are so important. Students at colleges and high schools are the prime donor type. The Red Cross goes from school to school hosting drives, getting as many donations as possible.
Before donating, students had to sign in and provide some form of identification. They were then given a packet in which they had to carefully read before donating. The packet contains all the criteria in which a donor must meet. Such criteria include height and weight restrictions, past health history, family health history, etc. Once the packet is read the donor goes to a booth with a red cross volunteer to answer questions about health, travel, and medicines. They also take the donor’s blood pressure, temperature, and pulse. They then take a small blood sample to check that the donor is not anemic. If the donors qualifies, they move to a table, are sterilized, and then blood is drawn. Once all of the blood is drawn it is separated into three separate groups; platelets, red blood cells, and plasma. In doing this, The Red Cross can readily distribute the blood to different hospitals depending on that hospital’s specific needs.
Madison High alone got a total of 68 units of blood. The Red Cross set a goal of 54 for the school, and were absolutely thrilled to surpass this goal, and thankful to the generous student body. This organization is of the nation’s premier humanitarian organizations, the American Red Cross is dedicated to helping people in need throughout the United States and, in association with other Red Cross networks, throughout the world. They depend on the many generous contributions of time, blood, and money from the American public to support our lifesaving services and programs. Blood drives like the ones taking place in our school alone can save many lives.