By: Jennifer Ortiz
Last Friday, September 5th, the Student Nurses Association (SNA) hosted a blood drive in Ritch Banquet from 10 am to 3 pm and collected 46 units of blood, exceeding its goal of collecting 30 units.
SNA carried out this blood drive through Community Blood Center of the Carolinas, the local organization that determines the hospitals in need of blood and distributes accordingly.
“Blood drives are so important in that this is how we supply hospitals with blood that is needed. Many different patients can be in need of blood, varying from babies to trauma patients,” said Madison Haliloglu, secretary of SNA and a volunteer at Friday’s blood drive.
SNA members volunteered at the event by directing people who had made appointments and spreading the word around campus about the blood drive.
The process of donating blood is quite simple. Donors establish their eligibility through paperwork and iron level tests, and then nurses disinfect the area and draw blood.
Rachel Hodulick, a sophomore ASL major, was one of many students who donated blood. She gave blood despite her hatred of needles and encourages others to do the same.
“I do it because my cousin had leukemia, and he needed blood, and they didn’t have it at the time, so all my family went and gave blood. I couldn’t at that time, so I try to give blood as often as I can for people because there’s just never enough blood to go around,” Hodulick told GWU-Today.
SNA plans on hosting another blood drive through the Community Blood Center of the Carolinas during the spring semester. SNA also serves the community by teaming up with Project Life, a movement to increase the bone marrow registry.
For more information about SNA and upcoming events, contact Dr. Nicole Waters at [email protected] or RJ Kelly at [email protected].