Date/Time
Date(s) - September 22, 2022
10:00 am - 5:00 pm

Location
Catholic Church of St. Mark

Categories

• Community Events

The Council is supporting the St. Mark Justice & Peace Ministry for this Red Cross Blood Drive donation event

The Blood Donation Process

Registration

• We’ll sign you in and go over basic eligibility.
• You’ll be asked to show ID, such as your driver’s license.
• You’ll read some information about donating blood.
• We’ll ask you for your complete address.  Your address needs to be complete (including PO Box, street/apartment number) and the place where you will receive your mail 8 weeks from donation.

Health History

• You’ll answer a few questions about your health history and places you’ve traveled, during a private and confidential interview.
• You’ll tell us about any prescription and/or over the counter medications that may be in your system.
• We’ll check your temperature, pulse, blood pressure and hemoglobin level.

Tip: Speed up your donation by completing a RapidPass® online or on the Blood Donor app on the day of your donation.

Your Donation

• If you’re donating whole blood, we’ll cleanse an area on your arm and insert a brand-new sterile needle for the blood draw. (This feels like a quick pinch and is over in seconds.)
• Other types of donations, such as platelets, are made using an apheresis machine which will be connected to both arms.
• A whole blood donation takes about 8-10 minutes, during which you’ll be seated comfortably or lying down.
• When approximately a pint of whole blood has been collected, the donation is complete, and a staff person will place a bandage on your arm.
• For platelets, the apheresis machine will collect a small amount of blood, remove the platelets, and return the rest of the blood through your other arm; this cycle will be repeated several times over about 2 hours.

Refreshment and Recovery

• After donating blood, you’ll have a snack and something to drink in the refreshment area.
• You’ll leave after 10-15 minutes and continue your normal routine.
• Enjoy the feeling of accomplishment knowing you are helping to save lives.
• Take a selfie, or simply share your good deed with friends. It may inspire them to become blood donors.

Tip: Don’t forget to schedule your next appointment before you leave the blood drive!