USU students donate 75 pints of blood
Utah State University students donated 75 pints of blood Wednesday at a blood drive held by the
Logan LDS Institute. Most of the donations were be sent to the Logan Regional Hospital.
“A goal of 75 pints was set, so we feel pretty good about it,” Dianna White, member of the LDS Student Association, said.
“Utah is priority for this drive. If the hospital has enough, then it will go outside of the state, like to New Orleans,” Jimmy Thomas, a member of LDSSA who was working at the blood drive, said.
Certain requirements must be met in order to give blood. An individual needs to be 18 or older, but a donor may give blood if they are 17 years old as long as they have parental consent. Blood donors must also weigh at least 110 pounds.
Each donor gives one pint of blood and afterward are offered a variety of foods and drinks. It is recommended that individuals eat, drink fluids and do not overexert themselves after donating.
“A lot of people need it and it only takes an hour out of my day. It’s not hard,” Kate Richards, who donated during the blood drive, said. “I like to do it when I can. It’s a good thing to do.”
After blood is received, it goes through a series of tests performed by the Red Cross. They are looking for blood type, AIDS, hepatitis and other diseases.
“Blood with any infectious disease or false positive test is rejected,” said Karlie Asahina, Red Cross team supervisor.
If any disease or abnormality is detected, the donor is notified within a week.
“O negative is the universal donor, so of course we love it. O positive and A positive are the most
common blood types but we need all of them,” Asahina said. “Donate blood, we need everyone. It’s not as scary as you think.”
– ariek@cc.usu.edu