The College of Alameda (CoA) Wellness Center will host a blood drive Tuesday on the quad.
Someone in the United States needs blood or platelets every two seconds on average, according to the American Red Cross. Lisa Sawadogo, CoA’s Health Services Coordinator, describes this as a “staggering” statistic. She said that donations have decreased greatly since the COVID-19 pandemic, and that CoA plans to continue to host blood drives every year in the spring.
Between 2019 and 2021, the U.S. saw a 60.7% drop in blood donations from teens aged 16 to 18, and a 31.9% drop in donations from adults between 19 and 24 years old, according to a guide to U.S. blood donor statistics released by America’s Blood Centers and the Association of Blood Donor Professionals released in January. The guide attributes the decline in youth donations to limitations placed on blood drives on school campuses due to the pandemic.
Newly eligible donors will have an opportunity to donate blood as well. Last May, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) updated their donor eligibility guidelines for the first time in 40 years. Previously excluded sexually active gay and bisexual men may now be eligible to give blood. Under the current FDA guidelines, “all prospective blood donors will answer a series of individual, risk-based questions to determine eligibility,” a FDA press release states.
Tuesday’s blood drive will be run by Vitalant, a blood donation nonprofit. First-time donors can find more information on Vitalant’s first-time donor webpage. Student workers on the quad will also be able to answer questions, Sawadogo said.
Appointment slots are between 12 p.m. and 4 p.m. and although walk-ups are welcome, sign ups are encouraged ahead of time. Appointments can be made online here with the code “COAlameda”.
