Blood Services

Mission

The Blood Services Committee of the Duke Red Cross Club aims to promote blood donation to students and faculty on Duke's undergraduate campus. Only five percent of Americans who are eligible to donate blood do so. Our belief is that this could be easily remedied with increased awareness of the importance of giving blood and the ease of making a one-pint donation. Our hope is that Duke students will establish a lifelong tradition of giving blood every 56 days as a part of a commitment to exuding their sense of social responsibility in order to help those in poor health.

Projects

Blood Drives

As a part of this effort, our committee hosts blood drives on campus every two months so that students and faculty can establish a pattern of returning to give blood each time that they are re-eligible. One of the largest problems that the Red Cross faces in recruiting blood donors is that people often forget to reschedule appointments or think that once they have made a single donation, they have solved the problem. Unfortunately, this is not the case. Every two seconds, someone in the United States needs blood. The Carolinas Blood Services Region is responsible for supplying blood to 103 hospitals and requires 1,600 blood and platelet donors each day in order to meet the needs of local patients. We believe that in hosting consistent drives, the process is made more convenient for students who may not be able to get off campus or remember exactly when the 56 day period between donations elapses.

Education is also a major component of this endeavor. There are many common myths associated with giving blood that often make the process seem more daunting than it is in actuality. For this reason, our committee seeks to approach donor recruitment with an encouraging, supportive attitude which puts a strong focus on the facts about the process and the benefits of donating.

Give Blood

With a mere hour of your time, you could save up to three lives. If you would like to donate blood at an upcoming drive on Duke's campus, please sign up through this link: http://givesblood.org/go.php?bdc=24967
If you would like to find your local Red Cross chapter in another community, please visit http://www.givelife.org

If you have any questions regarding eligibility for blood donation, please visit the following website: http://www.redcross.org/services/biomed/0,1082,0_557_,00.html

Questions

If you have any further questions, please contact the Chair of Blood Services. His contact information is as follows:
Sean J Li
Duke Red Cross
Chair of Blood Services
sean.li[at]duke[dot]edu
(919)423-9367

"Donating a unit of blood may be one of the easiest and most powerful acts of human kindness possible." -Robert F. Fechner, CEO of the American Red Cross Carolinas Blood Services Region

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