Small blood drives make big impact

A Red Cross truck marks the site of the Myers blood drive Sept. 28.

Olivia Gorbatkin, a freshman marine biology major, stocks up on snacks after giving blood.

By Stone Irvin

It doesn’t just take a heart to keep blood pumping where it needs to go; it takes it takes a lot of planning, too.

The many blood drives that dot the campus, marked by Red Cross trucks, are all a part of a meticulously planned system that efficiently gets blood to the people who need it.

Steve Wheeler, the nurse in charge of the Myers Hall blood drive that took place Sept. 28, explained that the Red Cross has focused less on large all-campus blood drives that take place three times a year.

“We’ve broken the campus down into units,” said Wheeler, who described the small-scale system as “hand to mouth.” He said that fewer drives allow the Red Cross to focus on getting a smaller amount of units that can be quickly gathered and delivered to those in need. Wheeler said that the Myers drive was on track to reach its goal of 75 units with a focus on collecting type B positive blood, which is often in short supply because B blood can be used by patients with either B or AB types.

Janet Jarrett, the donor recruitment account manager for the East Georgia Red Cross, said the Red Cross has been growing small-scale drives because they required more space than was available.

“Until this year UGA lacked a facility big enough to house a larger drive,” Jarrett said. She said that, with the Tate student center no longer under construction and the Coliseum made available to the Red Cross, there are now better spaces to house all-campus drives.

Additionally, Jarrett said that smaller drives are better at getting upper classman, who generally stay close to the areas where they have classes, to donate.

Wheeler likes the challenge provided by setting up drives across the campus. “We have to adapt every day,” said Wheeler, who had not seen the where he would be setting up until the day of the drive.

Olivia Gorbatkin, a freshman marine biology major from Decatur, Ga., calmly read a book as she gave blood in the crowded Myers programming room. This space, normally used for large Myers community events, was ideal for housing the line students waiting to give blood.

“When I came to UGA I was shocked at how many blood drives there are,” Gorbatkin said. A regular donor, she has given blood several times since she was 16 and, laughing, added that being able to give blood for the first time was like a birthday present.

“Being in slight discomfort for a minute is worth helping someone,” she said with a book laying across her chest and tube running from her vein. She also managed to complete a class assignment while waiting to donate.

Meanwhile, next to the Red Cross trucks that mark Myers as location for a blood drive sat Richard Brown, a blood unit transporter from Buffalo, N.Y.

“I worked for a company called Prestige Delivery Systems,” said Brown of his former employer, which used to handle blood transportation in New York. “I looked into the Red Cross to see if I could use my expertise in transportation.”

Brown’s work encompasses more than simply driving from place to place.

“I pack up all the blood, I process all the paperwork and make sure it’s all stored correctly,” he said. Brown is the last check to make sure blood units and its accompanying information is grouped properly before the blood leaves the donation site.

But while transportation and packaging is his main function at blood drives, he was happy to see the great response to campus blood drives. “The more donations we receive,” he said, “it helps save another life.”

Another blood drive will be held in the Tate Center Grand Hall from 11:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. on Oct. 12. Other drives will be posted on the University of Georgia master calendar. Donors should eat, drink and sleep well before giving blood.

-- Edited by Jon-Michael Sullivan