Hofstra draws in students for blood drive

Junior Hayden Vogel (left), gets his blood drawn by Eazyara Peña (right), a donor specialist at the New York Blood Center. // Photo courtesy of Cody Hmelar.

Hofstra University, in collaboration with the New York Blood Center, held a blood drive on Thursday, Feb. 24, amidst the first ever national blood emergency, declared by the American Red Cross at the beginning of this year. 

The blood drive was an all-day event in the Multipurpose Rooms in the Student Center. By the end of the day, 214 pints of blood had been collected. 

“We always have a goal. Some people will say, ‘Oh, let’s try to reach for 500 [pints],’” said Elizbeth Lorentzen, the manager of learning and development at Hofstra. “Realistically, 350 pints seems to be our goal, but because this is our first [blood drive] back, we probably won’t reach 350, but again, every pint counts.”

The New York Blood Center collected 214 pints of blood at the Hofstra blood drive. // Photo courtesy of Cody Hmelar

Typically, Hofstra will have a blood drive each semester, but due to COVID-19, this is the first one at the university in two years, according to Lorentzen.

“We are all vaccinated, [COVID-19] numbers are going down and the [need for blood] is so great,” Lorentzen said. “That’s why we brought it back at this time.”

Health and safety protocols were put in place to ensure the safety of staff and students.

“There are less beds, this way we can have things spread apart and all of the internal staff have to be wearing a special mask,” Lorentzen said. 

Two types of procedures were offered at the blood drive on Thursday, one of which was the whole blood procedure.

“In a normal whole blood procedure, we take your platelets, your plasma and your red cells,” said Doreen Fiscina, account manager at the New York Blood Center. “That’s why we say you could save three lives after we collect your blood. We bring it back to our lab in Westbury and separate the components.” 

The second type of procedure is called the double red procedure, which has certain height, weight and blood type requirements, according to Fiscina.

“With a double red cell donand we’re giving you back your platelets and plasma. We’re taking double the amount of red cells, so this way, the recipient is receiving the red cells from the same donor as opposed to multiple donors,” Fiscina said. “It’s better for the recipient and it’s better for us because the O negative, O positive and A negative blood that we need the most. We’re getting double the amount of it.”

Deandra Baker, a freshman biology major, donated blood for the first time as community service for the track team. 

“It’s something that may not be for everyone, but if you have the opportunity to donate blood, it’s always good to give back and do your share,” Baker said. 

The national blood emergency hinders blood centers from helping fellow blood centers during times of need.

“Usually what happens is if one location in the country has a fire, hurricane, mass shooting, etc., the blood centers around them can supply blood to [that area]. So, if you take Hurricane Sandy, we couldn’t go to certain locations because there was no electricity, or you couldn’t get through or the buildings were gone. We were able to reach out to other blood centers for help,” Fiscina said. “With the pandemic, everybody is experiencing the same problem at the same time, so there’s no one who could help one another.” 

Some Hofstra students were glad to be able to give back during a time of need.

“It’s a humbling experience to be able to donate, because we can’t even fathom all the people who need blood,” said Naomi Brill, a second-year graduate student in the creative art therapy counseling program. “I’m really grateful that I’m healthy enough to donate blood, and it’s something everyone should do, to just take a moment and realize how lucky we all are for those who can donate.”

There are reasons why a person may be ineligible to donate blood. Some of which include  having been to certain countries, being under 110 pounds and getting a piercing with a reusable instrument within three months of when you want to donate, according to Lorentzen. 

Ivleen Singh, a junior in the physician assistant program, successfully donated blood after attempting to in the past and getting denied for having piercings. 

“I’ve always wanted to [donate blood]. I’ve come here multiple times, but I usually get sent back because I’ve gotten piercings,” Singh said. “I couldn’t fulfill the requirements, but I’ve always wanted to donate because I feel like if I could help someone, then why not?”

If you are unable to fulfill the requirements to donate blood, there are other ways to help, according to Lorentzen. 

“Getting the word out and raising awareness that the country has a critical shortage right now is a tremendous help,” Lorentzen said. 

If you are interested in donating blood or seeing if you are eligible, you can go to the New York Blood Center’s website.