St. Francis High School To Host Children’s Hospital Blood Drive
On Thursday, December 6th, 2012 the St. Francis High School community invites you to respond to the call to help save the lives of those in need at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles by donating blood. Over the years St. Francis has developed an excellent relationship with Children’s Hospital and the school is honored to host another blood drive on behalf of the organization. St. Francis encourages the local community to join the school’s students, faculty, and staff to make this blood drive a success for the children that need this special gift.
Did you know that, on average, one pint of blood can help save the lives of up to three children? There is always a child who needs your blood type at Children’s Hospital. Type O individuals are “universal donors.” As a result, there is a great need for O donors. O-Negative blood is used in emergency situations, and is especially useful for transfusions for infants. Children’s Hospital has one of the largest and most successful Neonatal Intensive and Critical Care Units, making the hospital’s needs great. Platelets, the blood component necessary for clotting, are the most used component at the hospital for children undergoing bone marrow transplant therapy or chemotherapy.
If you are interested in donating blood, it might be important to know that you can donate blood every 56 days or eight weeks, not to exceed six times per year. You may donate platelets every 3 days, not to exceed 24 times per year. Children’s Hospital’s patients need approximately 2,000 units of blood and blood components each month as part of the life-saving care provided by the hospital. To provide these units to its patients, the hospital needs to collect blood from approximately 800 blood donors per month. Nearly 90% of the blood transfused at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles comes from the hospital’s donor center. Rarely is enough blood donated to cover patient use.
If you would like more information about this topic, or to schedule an interview, please call (818) 790-0325 ext. 513 or e-mail burghdorfa@sfhs.net.
