According to the Red Cross, every two seconds an American needs blood. Tupelo High School is allowing students and staff to save lives with the annual blood drive on November 6th.
“There’s a shortage in Mississippi, [as well as] a shortage nationwide. Various factors such as COVID have increased the shortage that we have in Mississippi so we’re trying to get students and staff here to give the gift of life,” health science teacher Angela Brown said.
The health science club, HOSA, works with Vitalant. Vitalant is a blood donation company with over 115 locations nationwide. One is those locations is right here in Tupelo. According to their website, Vitalant provides services for over 900 hospitals. Students can benefit from giving blood to those in need.
“Tupelo high school students support the local blood bank, which supports their local hospitals. It also gives the students time to do community service,” Vitalant director Melinda Murphree said.
There is a long process when blood is extracted from the vein to finally get to the recipient. When a donor walks in to give blood they are given a donation number that is programed in Vitalant’s computer system. The blood is then placed in a cooler to go to a processing center. Once the blood has arrived at the center, it is put into a machine called a Centrifuge. A centrifuge separates the contents of the blood. The blood is then separated into individual units of plasma, platelets, and red blood. Each unit is stored appropriately. Blood samples are tested for disease and donations are discarded if something concerning is found. If the test is clear, the center gets sent the blood type and donation number. The blood, platelets, and plasma are then given to patients who need them.
“It is important to give blood because there are patients that are low on blood. They need blood, because blood perfuses all of the major organs in your body, from your brain to your intestines to your heart,” Brown said.
Blood is used for various uses one of use is for sickle cell anemia. Sickle cell is a rare disease where blood cells are oddly shaped. These blood cells die early and cause a shortage of healthy blood cells. Sickle cell patients often require one to two transfusions a month. There are also other important reasons to give blood.
