American Red Cross Saves Lives With Public’s Help

By: Alyson Lyons

Albany, December 5, 2007- According to the World Health Organization (WHO) blood donation rates range from a high of 6.9 percent in Denmark to less than one percent in most of the world. Out of approximately 300 million Americans, about six million donate, comprising only 3.4 percent of the population. The trouble is the American Red Cross estimates that 85 percent of Americans will need to receive blood in their lifetime. Blood is constantly needed around the nation to benefit fellow citizens, and in recent years, the demand has increased because of scientific advancements in medical treatments. The question is if people expect their family members to have all these treatments available in order to extend or save their lives, why aren’t they helping?

The Albany Medical Center is the largest hospital in the Capital Region. It routinely receives three to four deliveries of blood each day from the American Red Cross. The Director of the hospital’s blood bank, Dr. George Wilner, clarified that the hospital does not collect blood but has a “wonderful working relationship with the Red Cross.” He explained that since most community hospitals in the area do not maintain a facility capable of treating critical patients, such as trauma victims, the Albany Medical Center has first priority access to the American Red Cross blood bank. Although Wilner reports that the hospital does not have a blood shortage, he reiterates the fact that the demand for blood is always high. “The real issue we have is that people are getting sicker and sicker. As medical care improves, the critical nature of the patients that we see now is more frequent,” Wilner said. He also refers to the increased number of elderly people who are having more high-risk surgeries. According to Wilner, it is not uncommon to have surgeries on patients that are 80 or 90 years old; further, the overall number of sick people has gone up dramatically.

In the United States, a blood transfusion is needed every two seconds. Wilner estimated that as many as 32,000 people receive blood transfusions annually at the Albany Medical Center. Blood can be divided into 3 parts: red blood cells, platelets and plasma. These three components can be individually used to treat a wide variety of patients. Cancer and Leukemia patients, bone marrow recipients, and patients undergoing by-pass surgery need donated platelets to counteract chemotherapy and prevent post operative bleeding. Transplant and trauma surgeons need plasma for their patients. In many cases, plasma is essential to stop bleeding and prevent infection after treatment. Some transplant or trauma patients, especially burn victims, may require as many as 100 transfusions. Red blood cells are used to stabilize surgical patients who may have undergone blood loss during surgery. These three blood components can also be donated separately. The Journal of American Red Cross Blood Services wrote that 135 hospitals reported canceling an elective surgery on one or more days because of blood supply shortages. Wilner confirmed this, stating that the hospital has never refused a transfusion but has canceled surgeries.

A regular donor, Richard Ribet is an Albany resident who works as a Pepperidge Farm bread distributor. He has been donating blood for more than 25 years. Ribet prefers to donate at least three times a year, since a person is eligible to donate every 56 days. He tries to make it a point to donate during the holiday season because numbers tend to go down. Both Teri Nolet and Wilner supported this claim. Ribet describes laziness of other people as pathetic. “Some people have legitimate excuses, but if people just tried it, took a chance, got over their initial fear, they would see there is no fear in giving. After trying it once, the humanitarian in you is going to surface and you might get hooked like I did,” said Ribet. Most other donors had the same attitude as Ribet. A blood drive was held before Thanksgiving at the University at Albany campus. A student, John Duprey, donated blood because he simply thought it was the right thing to do. In Duprey’s case, the high iron levels found in his blood allowed him to donate double the amount of red blood cells in one process. Through this extraction, donor specialists are able to give back the platelets and plasma from the donated blood and extract the two pints of red blood cells. Duprey says that he chose to do this because the employee informed him there was a larger shortage of just blood cells.

A fear of needles is the most commonly used excuse among non-donors. The supervisor of the Red Cross Center on Everett Road, Nolet, validated that fear but wished people would put their concern in perspective. She highlighted the importance of people taking the time to help others. Nolet said that the public is unaware of the donation process and how quickly it can be performed. Nolet promised that the initial pain of the needle is no more hurtful than a bee sting. The actual donation process only takes between 6 to 10 minutes, depending on the donor. A health history is filled out beforehand along with a quick physical. There are donor specialists, volunteers and supervisors present to help people feel comfortable and relaxed. Nolet stressed the fact that one pint taken from a person can save up to three lives. “People need to really think about what would happen if they or their loved ones really needed blood and the doctor says no, or it has been exposed to hepatitis, you don’t mind do you? Life is a commitment, and being there for fellow man is commitment,” said Nolet.

The American Red Cross is a non-profit organization. Unfortunately, testing blood for infections, diseases and bacteria is an expensive process. Each pint of donated blood undergoes detailed testing to ensure the safety of its potential recipients. Todd Bloom is a Mobile Unit Assistant (MUA) employed at the Red Cross Center for the past 5 years. He is responsible for processing each pint of blood and sending it to the test labs in Rochester, New York. He travels to the numerous sites in the city of Albany that host blood donations. Bloom, like many employees, chose to work for the Red Cross because of the satisfaction he feels from helping others.

“The bottom line is we save lives,” Bloom said. Another MUA, Chuck Vain, worked with the handicapped for 12 years before coming to the Red Cross Center. He expresses the same attitude towards his work as Bloom does, and gives reason to his change of occupation. Vain revealed that he had relatives who needed a blood transfusion. After his personal ordeal, he found himself interested in the blood donation process along with its benefits. One of the donor specialists at the Red Cross center, Mary Brown, has been linked to the medical field since the age of fifteen. She is responsible for evaluating health histories and drawing blood from donors. Like Vain, her reasoning for working with the Red Cross is personal, but she also wanted people to think of the potential needs of their family members in the future.

For a person without insurance, blood costs $350 for every pint. As soon as the needle leaves the donor’s arm, the blood is considered a pharmaceutical product that needs to be properly preserved, tested and distributed. The American Red Cross is federally funded, but primarily depends on volunteers to help organize events. Nolet along with her staff work exhausting hours to fight the depletion of the Capitol region’s blood supply. “That’s what keeps us going. We slack off, somebody dies,” Nolet said. The American Red Cross offers a plethora of jobs to chose from, all of which help to benefit the lives of others. If a person is not able to donate blood, his or her volunteered time is eagerly awaited by the Red Cross Center. To learn more about blood donations or volunteer opportunities, visit their website: www.redcross.org.