Help how you can: Upcoming Bluffton blood drives combat shortages during coronavirus
Two upcoming blood drives at the Bluffton Tanger Outlet Mall on Fording Island Road will help address the need for more blood donations during the coronavirus outbreak.
Blood donation centers will be set up in the Tanger 1 parking lot from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m. Monday and at the Tanger 2 parking lot from 2 p.m. until 7 p.m. Friday. While sign-ups are full for the Monday drive, you can sign up online to donate on Friday.
The Tanger 1 outlet mall includes Under Armour, Kate Spade, Bath and Body Works and shares a parking lot with Chipotle, Panera and Olive Garden. The Tanger 2 outlet mall is closer to the Hilton Head bridge and includes the Nike Store, H&M, American Eagle and the Salty Dog Cafe.
Monday’s drive will be operated by the American Red Cross. The Friday drive will be operated by One Blood.
Both entities encourage adults who are healthy to give blood during the coronavirus outbreak.
“The American Red Cross has been able to meet immediate patient needs,” The American Red Cross website says of the coronavirus outbreak. “There is no known end date in this fight against coronavirus and the Red Cross needs the help of blood and platelet donors and blood drive hosts to maintain a sufficient blood supply for weeks to come.”
In response to the coronavirus outbreak, the Food and Drug Administration loosened its restrictions Friday on who could give blood, CNN reported. The restrictions were meant to reduce the risk of transmitting HIV through blood and were enacted in the 1980s.
Prior to Friday, male donors who have had sex with another man, female donors who have had sex with a man who has had sex with another man, people who recently got a tattoo or people who recently got a piercing would not have been allowed to donate for 12 months.
The newest changes reduce that deferral period to three months, CNN reported.
The FDA has said there is an “urgent need” for blood during the pandemic, but CNN reported that “blood donation centers are not required to implement these changes.”
How to give blood
Here are the steps to giving blood, according to the American Red Cross website:
- Sign up online for an appointment for an upcoming blood drive. Monday’s Bluffton blood drive is fully booked, but you can still sign up on the One Blood website for Friday’s donation drive.
- Arrive at the blood drive at your designated time slot
Registration:
Complete donor registration, which includes information such as your name, address, phone number, and donor identification number if you have one
Present driver’s license or two other forms of ID
Answer questions during confidential interview about your health history and the places you have traveled
Have your temperature, hemoglobin, blood pressure and pulse checked.
Donation:
- We will 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.
- You will have some time to relax while the bag is filling. The donation process takes 8-10 minutes.
- When approximately a pint of blood has been collected, the donation is complete and a staff person will place a bandage on your arm.
After your donation:
- You will spend a few minutes enjoying refreshments to allow your body time to adjust to the slight decrease in fluid volume.
- After 10-15 minutes, you can then leave the donation site and continue with your normal daily activities.
Answers to your questions about donating blood and donating during the coronavirus pandemic can be found on the American Red Cross website.
“In times of crisis, the Red Cross is fortunate to witness the best of humanity as people roll up a sleeve to help those in need,” the website says.
This story was originally published April 4, 2020 at 2:47 PM.
