July 30 effort set for 7 a.m-6 p.m. in the Smith Center
At the end of the month, everyone has a chance to extend a helping arm.
On July 30, the ninth annual campus blood drive is scheduled from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. in the Smith Center.
"Summer is such a crucial time for donating blood," said Patti Smith of Employee Services. "Blood supplies typically are low during the summer months, and this is an opportunity for University employees to help others, not only in our area but across the state."
Smith said she hoped the University community would take this year's blood drive theme, "It Takes a University ... Donate Blood," to heart as they strive to meet the 1,000-pint goal.
"This annual drive gives University faculty, staff and administrators--as well as their families and friends--the chance to help others," she said. "It's one of the few things we do that takes so little time and does so much good."
Donors will take home sunglasses, donated again this year by Student Stores, and a coupon for a free sandwich from Chick-Fil-A, Smith said.
By now, she said, every department's recruiter should have contacted prospective donors and started scheduling appointments. If you haven't heard from anyone, call Fiona Bradley, 2-2348, to find out your departmental recruiter, or call BLOOD (2-5663) to make an appointment.
Appointments are available any time between 7 a.m. and 5:45 p.m., and time spent donating blood is considered work time if given during normal work hours. Employees can call to make appointments through 5 p.m. July 29.
Walk-ins will be accepted, but the process will be faster for those who sign up beforehand, Smith said. Family members who want to donate can sign up to come at the same time as their University relative, she added.
"We encourage people to sign up right away," Smith said. "By not waiting until the last minute, they are likely to have a wider variety of times from which to choose."
Chancellor Michael Hooker, who also will donate blood, encourages everyone to take time out to help people who need blood.
"Carolina has a strong tradition of successful blood drives, with our annual event being the second largest one-day drive in the nation," Hooker said. "I know the Red Cross can count on our faculty and staff to turn out and roll up their sleeves once again this year.
"I can think of nothing better for the Carolina family to give back to our community than blood, the gift of life."
Keeping moving
To keep the donation process moving smoothly, organizers are repeating measures put in place last year.
Red Cross staff will concentrate their efforts in Chapel Hill on July 30, because they have scheduled no other Carolina drives that day, said Lynette Cradle, regional consultant for the American Red Cross, Carolinas Region.
To speed up registration time, staff will pull pertinent information from the computer for people who have donated blood in the region before, she said.
"This worked so well last year, we will use the same system again this year," Cradle said. "We will do everything we can to make sure donors spend as little time as possible getting through the process.
"We truly appreciate the help of the University community in this blood drive."
Getting there
Employees coming from off-campus locations may use Point-2-Point shuttle service to the Smith Center. For those coming from campus, an X-press shuttle from the Old Well, Peabody Hall, Van Hecke-Wettach Hall and the Health Sciences Library will run every 15-20 minutes, said LaBron Reid, event services manager.
Employees returning to off-campus locations may phone P2P from the Smith Center to arrange the return trip to their offices, Reid said.
"We did this last year, and it was very helpful to those employees who work off-campus," he said. "We want to make sure donors who don't work on campus have easy access to the Smith Center."
Family members and friends of employees coming from off-campus should plan to park in the Bowles lot, Reid
said.
Golf carts will be available to take to their cars or the bus any employees who feel weak after giving blood,
he said.
How to donate
As donors arrive, they first will be greeted, checked in and registered. Registration involves reading a checklist of items involving the donation process and filling out a basic health history. For those who have given blood before, this information already will be on file in the computer system.
"Registration really is a very simple process," Cradle said. "You can't flunk registration."
Then, a nurse will check donors' vital signs, such as temperature, blood pressure, height and weight--much like a mini-physical, Cradle said. At this time, a nurse will administer a second health history to determine if prospective donors are eligible to give blood.
Donors then receive their donation bags and proceed to a privacy station, where they have a final chance to decide whether to give blood.
For the next step, donors get to lie down on the job. Workers will insert a needle into the donor's arm near the inside of the elbow to draw blood. That takes about 10 minutes but could be a little faster or slower depending on the donor's blood flow.
Red Cross personnel will monitor donors to make sure everything is going smoothly. Any time a donor feels uncomfortable, he or she can ask to stop the process.
Once a pint of blood has been collected, a Red Cross worker removes the needle and places a bandage on the arm. Then the donor is treated to 15 minutes of relaxation in the canteen, drinking liquids to replenish the body's fluid levels and eating snacks to boost blood sugar.
For those who worry about risk factors, Cradle said,donors cannot catch AIDS or any other blood-borne disease through donating.
"The needle is used only once, then discarded," Cradle said. "It is attached to the donation bag donors receive, and they can see each part of the process as it occurs.
"Knowing this usually reassures people who are concerned about risk. The process is very safe."
Need for blood
Cradle stressed the need for donating blood any time, but especially during the summer when supplies are low and demand is high.
Donna Wells, research technician in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology, agreed that blood donors truly save lives.
Thirteen years ago, Wells received three-and-a-half pints of blood during emergency surgery for an ectopic pregnancy, which saved her life.
"I wouldn't be here if I hadn't received blood in 1984," she said. "Also, my blood type is Rh negative, so I can attest to the importance of donating, especially for those with less common blood types."
Wells, who cannot donate blood because she is underweight, volunteers with the American Red Cross in other areas.
"Whenever I recruit volunteers, I always ask them what if someone in their family needed help," she said. "That's the key for most people. If a family member needed help, they certainly would donate. Others need help, too."
Volunteers needed
It's not too late to volunteer to help with the campus blood drive.
"The response has been very good," said Bob Schreiner, one of the two volunteer coordinators. "We still need some volunteers for the last shift, from 4-6:30 p.m., but we would welcome volunteer help at other times as well."
To volunteer, contact your departmental recruiter or call Ann Hamner, 6-7291, or Schreiner, 6-3942.
Volunteers may donate blood, but they should do so after their work shifts to preserve their energy.
More information
For more information about the drive, call Patti Smith at 2-1483, email blood97@unc.edu or check out the home page at http://www.sph.unc.edu/blood97.
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