Denver College of Nursing Hosts a Campus Blood Drive
Tuesday, February 28, 2017 2:56 PM
Students and Faculty Donate Blood to BONFILS Blood Center
Denver College of Nursing partnered with BONFILS Blood Center to host a blood drive on the Lower Downtown Denver campus. The school’s student commons area, usually utilized for group studying and socializing, was transformed into a blood donation center. Many students enjoyed the break from reading textbooks to donate blood, while other students made it a priority to donate blood despite continuing to study for exams. Nursing school faculty members joined the campus event to donate blood between instructing classes.
BONFILS Blood Center staffed the blood drive with four phlebotomists to run an efficient and safe event. Potential donors completed a personal health interview, a health history questionnaire, and had vital signs and hemoglobin checked to become eligible to donate. “When a potential donor is denied eligibility, it is to protect the patient who would receive the blood. Certain medications, recent tattoos, out of country travel, and some diseases disqualify a donor. We have to do extensive screening to ensure safety to the recipients receiving the donated blood”, says a BONFILS Blood Center staff phlebotomist.
BONFILS Blood Center needs thousands of donors, of all blood types, each week to meet the needs of our community. The average adult has about ten pints of blood in his or her body; roughly one pint is given during a donation. The entire process takes about one hour to complete the donor questionnaire, health screening, and enjoy post-donation snacks. The donation itself takes only ten minutes. Trevor Johnson, a DCN student, valued the quick process of giving blood, while he continued to study on campus, saying “I donate to save a life in need”.
The DCN campus blood drive collected 28 units of blood from 84 donors, including 26 first time donors. Taylor Caldwell, a DCN student, who gave blood for the first time, stated “Blood is the elixir of life, and we can share it with those in need safely through donation”. It is estimated that 38% of the U.S. population is eligible to donate at any given time, yet less than 10% of that eligible population actually donates each year. DCN students realize the importance of donating blood as artificial blood products are still years away.