Folks from town and gown invited to Carolina Blood Drive June 9

By L.J. TOLER
UNC NEWS SERVICES

CHAPEL HILL -- Area supplies of donated blood, needed to keep the ill and injured alive, are critically low, but donors from town and gown can remedy this dangerous situation on June 9.

That’s when the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the American Red Cross will hold their 16^th annual Carolina Blood Drive. The nation’s second-largest one-day drive and the largest on the East Coast will be from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. in the Dean E. Smith Center. The goal: 1,000 units.

Donors will receive coupons, snacks and the feeling that comes with knowing they’ve saved the lives of innocent victims – of cancer, accidents, premature birth, burns and other frightening mishaps.

Everyone, on campus and off, is encouraged to donate, said Katrina Coble, chair of the blood drive committee and business manager for the computer science department.

"Statistics tell you that less than 5 percent of the U.S. population gives blood, yet approximately 96 percent of us will need a blood product at some point during our lifetime," she said.

Most folks can easily afford it. The human body contains 10 to 12 units of blood and can replenish one unit – the amount collected from a donor, a little less than a pint – in 48 hours.

Summer vacations cause donations to drop everywhere, but Chapel Hill is especially hard-hit in the summer, Coble said. That’s because many regular donors are UNC students, and most of them are away.

Supply in the Carolinas Blood Services Region now hovers around three days worth, the minimum considered safe, according to the Red Cross’ Orange County chapter. Types O and B are down to a 1.5-day supply, well below what is needed.

Tips for donors include:

• Donors must be at least 17, weigh at least 110 pounds and be in good health. Other guidelines are on the Red Cross Web site, www.redcrossblood.org, under "How to Give." The Web site also notes what photo identification cards donors will need.
• Those unable to give may help by volunteering at the drive. Sign up on the drive’s Web page, www.sph.unc.edu/blood.
• The Red Cross recommends eating a good meal and drinking plenty of water just before donating. From the day before until the donation, eat a diet rich in iron or take iron supplements; avoid or limit caffeine intake.
• There is no chance of getting AIDS by giving blood.
• Walk-ins are welcome, but donors with appointments will finish sooner. For an appointment, call 96-BLOOD, or 962-5663, or visit www.sph.unc.edu/blood.
• Parking will be free in lots near the Smith Center for participants while they donate, with golf carts shuttling donors to the center and back.
• For UNC employees, drive time is work time; supervisors must approve appointment times in advance.

More than 75 food and merchandise vendors are donating goods to help this year’s drive succeed, Coble said. Among them are more than 20 donors of free snacks and beverages ranging from doughnuts, pretzels, juices and pizza to health food sorts of goodies.

Last year, with more than 200 volunteers, 1,200 donors and 150 recruiters, the drive yielded 1,031 productive units of blood, enough to supply 70 percent of the needs for one day in all hospitals the Red Cross serves in its Carolinas region.

"We invite everyone to be part of keeping this the largest drive on the East Coast," Coble said. "Our theme is ‘Blood … A gift from the hearts of Carolina.’ It’s a gift from our hearts to patients in need during this critically important time of year."

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Contact: Katrina Coble, 962-1801, coble@cs.unc.edu
News Services contacts: Print: L.J. Toler, 919-962-8589; broadcast, Karen Moon, 919-962-8595