In October I had the opportunity to meet with Racheal, the Director of Donor Resources, from Cascade Regional Blood Services. I asked her a few questions about what it is like to donate blood with them, especially with social distancing and safety measures. I was able to go down to one of their Mobile Blood Drive sites and walk through the steps of donating blood to make a video for you, and in preparation for this blog. Then, in November, I got to donate blood at our joint Mobile Blood Drive with CrossFit Deluge here in Graham, WA.
Just a little bit of personal information for anyone who is reading this and may be nervous about donating blood - I was very nervous before donating blood this November! After some encouragement from David, the Shop Foreman at Graham Auto Repair, I decided to go ahead and donate blood. It went so much better than I expected! The staff at the Mobile Blood Site from Cascade Regional Blood Services made the entire process so easy and made me so comfortable. I told them that I was nervous and they let me know that at any point we could stop; but I didn't need to! If you would like to help by donating blood but, like I was, are feeling nervous - I encourage you to watch our YouTube video to get a glimpse into what it's like. You can also reach out to me through a private message on the Graham Auto Repair Facebook Page and I would be happy to answer your questions to the best of my ability.
Upcoming Mobile Blood Drive at Graham Auto Repair
Tuesday, December 29, 2020 from 8am-4pm
Sign Up: https://signup.com/go/crbs-GrahamAutoRepair
- Requiring appointments to be made in advance instead of doing walk-ins
- Appointments are spaced out every 15 minutes
- Staff is wearing face masks, gloves, and face shields
- Donors are required to wear face masks as well
From start to finish the entire process takes approximately 1 hour. The blood draw itself takes approximately 15 minutes.
- Check in at the check-in table outside (not on the bus)
- Read over the Reading Materials about donating blood and precautions
- Get onto the bus, sit on the waiting bench, fill out paperwork
- Go into the Health History Room, answer health history questions
- Temperature check and blood iron test
- Sit on the bed to donate blood
- Blood pressure test
- Complete the blood draw: they will take approximately 1 pint of blood
- Sit afterwards, then get a snack and a drink before leaving the bus
Check out their website: www.CRBS.net
Cascade Regional Blood Services have three centers in Pierce and South King County: Puyallup, Federal Way and Tacoma. They also have many Mobile Blood Drives all over Pierce County and South King County. Check out their website to find one that is closest to you on a date that works for you.
You must wait at least 56 days between each whole blood donation that you do. Now more than ever it is important to donate blood as often as you can. Statistics show that only 5% of the eligible population donates blood. Due to social distancing, even less people have been donating this year. Blood drives have been canceled all over the United States which has drastically affected the US Blood Supply. Meanwhile, patients in hospitals still continue to need blood donations.
All blood donated with Cascade Regional Blood Services goes to the hospitals in our local community, in both Pierce County and South Pierce County, Washington. This is a great opportunity for us to come together as a community and help save lives! We look forward to our upcoming blood drive and being able to serve the community with you.
If you have any more questions feel free to send us a private message through our Facebook Page, or send us an email to [email protected].
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