Every year, Harrison High School participates in the Hoxworth Blood Drive, saving lives throughout the tri-state area.
A single donation of blood can save up to 3 lives. By donating blood, life-saving blood products can be given to someone who needs it via a transfusion. Blood donors help patients of all ages and conditions, including accidents, burn victims, heart surgery, organ transplants patients, and those who are battling cancer.
About 38,000 units of blood are needed every day throughout the U.S. The number of blood units donated is 13.6 million a year. O-negative blood can be transfused into anyone of any blood type. However, this blood type is exceptionally rare, so supplies of it are low.
Requirements for being a blood donor are to be in good general health and feeling well, be at least 17 years old (or 16 with parental consent), and weigh at least 110 pounds. 2 times a year, Harrison High School has a Hoxworth blood drive. If you have donated blood at least twice, you will receive a red cord at graduation. Before donating blood, it is required to eat a good meal. This is so it can help maintain blood sugar levels, preventing a sudden drop in blood pressure. It is also important to be very hydrated with lots of water beforehand.
According to Hoxworth Blood Center, 400 blood donors and 50 platelet donors are needed to help save lives in our local community every day. Hoxworth has an urgent need for platelet donors. Platelets are a component of blood essential for clotting, and they are especially important for cancer patients, transplant recipients, and trauma victims. Platelets only have a shelf life of five days, so the need is constant. Hoxworth serves more than 30 hospitals in the tri-state and Hoxworth Blood Center is the oldest operating blood center in the United States, and a pioneer in the field of transfusion medicine.
Every five minutes, someone in the Tri-State area needs blood. You never know when you, a family member, a neighbor, or friend will need an emergency blood transfusion. Become a blood donor and help save lives.
