For students looking for an easy and time-efficient way to help those in need, USC’s “We Give Blood” drive is the perfect opportunity.
LifeStream blood bank, the primary blood supplier for Keck Medicine at USC, is hosting a mobile blood donation drive on campus. Every Wednesday until November 12, students can drop in to donate blood from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. After donating, students are given a $10 In-N-Out gift card.
“It’s a good way for [people] to give back to the community and help families and loved ones spend more time with each other,” said phlebotomist Tiffany Guajardo, a LifeStream employee working in the mobile donor station outside of McCarthy Dining Hall.
According to Guajardo, things can be slower earlier in the day, but last week there was a “great turnout.” She expected the same today.
Some students, like Zachary Chung, are worried about the efficiency of the process.
“It’s more [about] convenience right now,” said Chung, a sophomore at the USC Viterbi School of Engineering. “I don’t feel like I have enough time, and I know it requires diet and whatnot … I have donated blood before. I would be willing to do it again, but right now I feel like, in terms of convenience, that’s more the reason.”
Guajardo said students should know that a blood donation usually takes around 45 minutes. Additionally, she recommended that donors eat a big meal beforehand.
One difficulty with the blood drive can be the summer heat.
“The heat plays a big part in how people’s donations go,” said Guajardo. “So we’re always, constantly trying to keep them cool. Make sure they’re eating, make sure they’re hydrated. Make sure they have everything they need so they don’t have a reaction.”
Hannah Pan, a second-year graduate student, donated because she saw the email advertising the blood drive.
“Last year, I also did the same thing,” said Pan. “I also donated [blood] in China.”
Some donors are turned away because they have too low an iron count, said Guajardo. When this happens, they are given a flyer explaining changes they can make to their diet to increase their iron levels, and then they can try again in two weeks.
“We don’t want them to give up, we want them to continue to keep trying,” said the phlebotomist.
Guajardo hopes people continue to educate themselves about the importance of blood donation.
“I know a lot of people are very skeptical about donating, but once they come in here, we educate them,” she said. “They realize, hey, it’s not as scary as I thought it was, and they love it and they continue to come back.”