UNMC blood drive scheduled for Tuesday morning

The steps to potentially saving a life have never been so easy for UNMC and NHS employees.

First, click here to schedule an appointment at the campus blood drive on the morning of Tuesday, Oct. 1.

Second, go to the Center for Healthy Living at your appointed time.

Save a life To give blood you must be healthy, at least 17 years old, weigh at least 110 pounds, not have donated blood in the last 56 days or donated double red cells in the last 112 days. There is no upper age limit. You may not give blood if you have received notification from the American Red Cross or any other blood collection organization asking you not to do so.

Third, fill out a couple of forms, roll up your sleeve and read a newspaper or just relax while Red Cross professionals draw a pint of blood.

Fourth, take in a free doughnut and cup of juice before heading back to work, all with the intrinsic satisfaction that you could have just saved someone’s life.

Easy, safe, rewarding process

“Giving blood is a very easy and safe process for the blood donors, and it usually takes only about an hour from the time someone walks through the door until they return to work,” said Peter Pellerito, organizer of the campus blood drive and a specialist in the Center for Healthy Living.

UNMC has two scheduled blood drives each year, one in the spring and the other in the fall. NHS, meantime, schedules its two blood drives in the winter and summer. That allows for UNMC and NHS employees to give blood four times a year without leaving the Omaha campus. Donors can give blood every 56 days. The next NHS drive is scheduled for Jan. 22.

“The drives provide an opportunity for our employees to contribute in another way to the life-saving work that is done at UNMC and NHS,” Pellerito said.

Did you know: One pint of blood can save up to three lives. An adult body contains 10 to 12 pints of blood. There is virtually no pain associated with giving blood. The only sensation is a momentary “pinching” feeling as the needle is inserted. The Midwest Region, which sends blood and blood products to 93 hospitals, needs to collect 480 to 500 units of blood each day in order to meet patient needs. By the time we’re 75 years old, 80 percent of us will have received donated blood.

Who are you helping?

The transplant surgeries for which UNMC is renowned often require significant amounts of blood. For instance, a liver transplant normally requires about six to 10 units of red blood cells, 20 units of plasma and 10 units of platelets. A kidney transplant requires one to two units of red blood cells, while a bone marrow transplant requires one to two units of red blood cells every other day for two to four weeks and six to eight units of platelets daily for four to six weeks.

Reaching the goal

UNMC’s goal for the blood drive is 65 pints, and several time slots are still available throughout Tuesday morning. Pellerito hopes that enough employees realize the significance of blood donation to reach that goal.

“It takes a commitment from the employees to do this, but the intrinsic value of knowing that you very possibly could have helped someone to live is incredible,” Pellerito said. “I hope to see a lot of employees on Tuesday.”

For more information

The Red Cross has a Web site with information about blood donation at
http://www.redcross.org/donate/give. Another link related to blood donation is
http://www.redcross.org/services/biomed/blood/learn.